"Room 331..." Adam looked at the key in hand and then at the door with a sign that read "331."
He inserted the key into the lock and turned it, slowly opening the door.
A cozy room opened up with a hard-looking bed in the corner, a small table, and a candle next to it. There was also a carpet strewn across the floor and door to the bathroom.
The room was dimly lit, with the candle casting a cozy light over the room.
At the bed, a long-legged woman with shoulder-length black hair and a small beauty mark under her left eye sat with her legs crossed, browsing through documents while sipping a cup of tea.
After Adam stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him, the woman put the cup of tea down on the table, closed the documents, and turned to look at him with her dark brown eyes.
"Hello." She said with a mature and elegant voice. "I am your handler, Muriel."
"Adam." Adam introduced himself and put the backpack down on the ground, then started taking off his winter clothes as he was already getting hot and sweaty.
"Do you have any questions, Mr. Adam?" Muriel asked without much emotion in her tone.
"How are my points looking after the first floor?" Adam asked as he sat down, dropped the winter clothes to the ground, and started taking off his boots.
"You seem to know what Handler's job is." Muriel replied with a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"You record my points, keep an eye on me, and assist me in Safe Area. Basically, a babysitter."
"Yes, that's basically it." Muriel nodded. "Also, I am Original, meaning I am a native of the New World."
'Original, also known as NPC,' Adam thought to himself and nodded. "So, how did my points look like. You are allowed to give me a hint of how I am doing."
"Do I need to even say?" Muriel opened her documents and said, "Ron gave a high assessment of you, as you managed to keep a calm head throughout the first floor.
"You managed to kill Goatman; even though you seemed to know its weakness, it's still a very hard feat for Coinfeeder.
"Then, you managed to defeat a group of injured players—injured or not, it was still an impressive feat for a solo player.
"And then, you showed excellent fighting capability against the boss, Bloody Chaosbeing, and managed to find its body and even kill it.
"You got the highest amount of points from this group." Muriel closed the documents and looked at him. "Does that satisfy you?"
"You left something out, didn't you?" Adam sighed and scratched the back of his head. "What are the complaints?"
"You acted alone." Muriel said. "Mercenary never does anything alone. They need to rely on others for both raids and missions.
"Donald showed excellent leadership skills, as he was able to get several strong players for his side with just a few words.
"However, he ruined it with his greed. Still, he showed promise in this field and can learn from his mistakes.
"However, you showed zero intention of even trying to work with others.
"If you had tried, more players would've survived the boss fight.
"If you do the same in a real situation, with other members of the guild on your side, there'll be big consequences.
"No one will want mercenaries for raids who'll only act alone for their own benefit.
"It's important to prioritize the success of the group over personal gain." Muriel closed her mouth, signaling that she was done speaking out her criticism.
"I do understand all of that." Adam put his boots to the side and looked at the woman. "However, why do I want baggage that will slow me down?"
"Baggage?" Muriel frowned.
"I am stronger than the rest." Adam said with conviction. "They would just slow me down. Guilds also don't want mercenaries who cannot pull their weight in the raids."
"Ramon, Hannibal, and Parrish seemed powerful." Muriel said, her brows creased. "Also, Donald and Samuel have impressive combat abilities. Any of those would've been suitable guild members.
"Donald even approached you from the start, and if you had played your cards right, he would've accepted you as part of his group."
"Accepted..." Adam smiled and stood up. "That's cute."
"Excuse me?" Muriel frowned.
"A strong does not follow the weak."
Muriel's eyes widened as she saw Adam towering over her, his navy-blue eyes reflecting her face.
"As you already saw, Donald and Ramon are leaders." Adam crossed his arms. "They wouldn't have followed me. I am stronger than them, so I wouldn't be following them.
"The strong rules; this is New World's mantra. A strong does not follow the weak; the weak follows the strong to become strong!"
Muriel's breath quickened as she listened to Adam's words.
"And the rest?" Adam scoffed and shook his head. "No one else was even worth my consideration. This is not arrogance or ego speaking; it is just the truth and how this world works."
"I understand..." Muriel whispered and stood up while hugging the documents against her chest. "H-however, your points might still be reduced if you don't want to work with others."
"If that's the case, so be it." Adam took off his shirt, revealing his bare chest. "I am going to take a shower. Was this all?"
"That's all." Muriel bowed and walked to the door. However, as closer she got to the door, the bigger her smile became. 'A strong follows the weak; the weak follows the strong to become strong. I might've gotten a very special player!'
Adam entered the bathroom and took off his clothes.
As he stood below the shower head, with water falling down at him, he looked down at his waist, which had a big bruise.
It was possible to get bruises or even scars. Bruises would heal, but the scars would stay forever on the avatar's body.
There weren't any mercenaries without scars on their bodies.
'Points will most likely be deducted because I don't want to work others, but so be it.' Adam sighed while feeling the water on his skin.
'However, nothing I said was wrong. I do not follow people who aren't worthy of respect. A follower would never get high enough points in the tutorial to be considered for top guilds.
'They would want people like Donald and Ramon, who are natural-born leaders. They'll learn their place when they leave the tutorial and enter the real world of mercenaries.
'I already know my place.
'I might have been Prime Mercenary, a figure of strength and respect, but nothing of that matters anymore.
'The quicker I get used to the fact that I am again at bottom, the easier it will be for me.
'However, I do not plan on staying weak for long.
'Next floor, the Second Floor, already has a golden opportunity I can take advantage of. It was discovered only five years later by Dean Morticia, who later became a good friend of mine and fellow general of Star Faction.
'Sorry, Dean, but this is an opportunity I can't pass by. I'll pay you later, when you start playing Mortal Online.'
Adam closed the faucet, left the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, and sat down on the bed.
'Now, I need to press full throttle.' Adam cracked his knuckles and smiled. 'There are hundreds of players in the tutorial simultaneously—if I want the Council to truly notice me, I have to break some rules.'