[Exploration Mission: Get a World Map and explore at least 0.005% of the world.]
[Rewards: A – Rank Summoning Scroll.]
[Duration: 82 days]
Zeus joined Leonard as he met with the rest of the party he had just joined. They all met at the city plaza, but before going there, they stopped multiple times as Zeus felt nostalgic about the surroundings. It was as if he were back on Earth, which had the same ambiance and essence circulating around the place.
The ground was bountiful and healthy, as if it could grow any crops or plants there. Despite the dark bricks and other glowing parts of it, he still found them aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, Rune City was more similar to the time he visited Earth before sealing the connection.
"You like this place?" Leonard asked, noticing how Zeus was enjoying the view.
Zeus shook his head. Although he liked the feeling, he didn't like the place itself as there were some aspects he couldn't appreciate. The architecture was somewhat similar to some of Earth's countries, but he disliked the fact that the magic around the area made the city feel ethereal.
"No… This is an artificial feeling. Earth was more pure, as if the world was alive and had its own consciousness."
Brows furrowed, Leonard questioned, "What are you talking about? Are you thinking of Earth right now?"
"Yes. I remember Earth from this place, but I'm not seeing the whole similarity. This place's atmosphere is like a copy of Earth but artificially done by magic. Earth was pure."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Shaking his head, Leonard continued leading the way until they reached the city plaza. There, they met with Yuna and the rest of the four members of the party.
"Hello, Leonard. Are you ready?" asked one, who appeared to be the warrior of the party, Brian, carrying a sword and shield.
The rest of the party greeted Leonard, but their attention quickly shifted to Zeus. His presence was both commanding and eye-catching, with his white hair giving him an air of age without diminishing his strength. Despite his older appearance, Zeus exuded an imposing aura that made everyone feel tense in his presence, leaving them with unspoken questions about his arrival.
"Ah. Before we leave, I want to introduce Zeus, my butler."
Zeus, just listening and watching them, frowned the moment he heard how Leonard introduced him. He pulled Leonard away from the party and questioned him.
"What did you just introduce me as?"
"A butler. That makes sense."
"No. That doesn't make sense. How could you make a god your butler?"
"Then what do you want me to introduce you as? My summon?"
"At least a father."
Leonard snorted and covered his mouth. "What are you on about? As if that's believable. I don't want to introduce you as my father."
"Why not?" Zeus asked seriously, his eyes unwavering. "I would be anyone's ideal of a good father."
"No, I just don't want to." Leonard sighed before returning to the rest of the party. "This is Brian, the warrior. Fred, the tank. Jane, the scout. Liam, the assassin of the party. And this is Yuna, the archer."
Zeus nodded in acknowledgment.
Fred, who had a chiseled body only slightly inferior to Zeus's, approached him and inspected his muscles, pondering with his hand at his chin.
"How did you manage to build this physique? What's your diet?" Fred asked in a deep and scarce voice.
Noticing the sparkle in Fred's eyes, Zeus smiled with satisfaction. "Why do you ask? Do you want to have a body like mine?"
Fred nodded.
"You need a father who threatens your life, one who pushes you to your limits until you succeed in overthrowing him. How about that? Do you have someone like that?"
Fred's face slowly turned gray and pale, overwhelmed by Zeus's words. He couldn't fathom how Zeus could say that. Could it be from his experience? Fred could only assume, but it seemed highly possible.
"You'll make a good butler for Leonard. You're strong," Fred commented before returning to the party to help devise the plan for their journey through the Zack Republic.
The planning took almost an hour before Zeus broke their concentration with a question. "Why do you even want to explore the country?"
Liam, who had a smaller body frame than Leonard but an aura different from most people—his presence seemingly weak but still creating a pressuring atmosphere around him—answered Zeus's question.
"We are going to collect the country's treasures scattered around the land. It's called The Lost Treasures of the Zackarious Empire."
Zeus nodded. "And I assume that was the previous name of this country. Or perhaps the historical name since it was once an empire."
Jane, the scout of the party, who wore a green camouflage outfit, answered with a wide smile. She had a face similar to Yuna's, with a pretty expression, but slightly less striking due to her rough demeanor.
"People have forgotten about it because of the treasures inside the tower. But The Lost Treasures of the Zackarious Empire is real. I found evidence during our challenge, which might be why we were destined to be defeated."
Zeus nodded, then pulled Leonard aside, interrupting his enjoyment of the stories.
"Hey, have you lost your mind? What are these people talking about? From my studies of this world, towers have no relation to the outside world. The history inside them isn't connected to any history outside. So how could they find evidence inside a tower? And most of all, from a challenge?"
Leonard smirked while shaking his head. "You don't understand, Zeus. That's the essence of adventuring. We don't know for sure yet. It could just be a hypothesis."
Zeus was about to explain further but stopped when Leonard hushed him. They then returned to the party.
"Sorry about that. Zeus was just worried about this adventure since he knows how difficult it is to defeat monsters in dungeons," Leonard said before adding, "But don't worry. Zeus is a strong mage and can easily defeat monsters."
Hearing Leonard's words, the party's admiration for him grew even more.
'Zeus is also a Player?' they all thought. 'If he's a Player and not opposed to our plans, then Leonard must be a powerful Player since Zeus has no choice but to follow him as a butler.'
Yuna, who was looking at Leonard with pure respect, couldn't help but feel a desire to submit herself to him.
'If Leonard became my master, I wouldn't have to worry about anything. He's smart. Even though he's younger than me, I want to serve him.'
Even with his suspicions, Zeus couldn't bring himself to take Leonard away from these people, as he could see how genuinely happy Leonard was. Zeus didn't want to take that moment away from him.
'Now, it seems monsters still exist outside the tower. Another discovery,' Leonard thought, recalling how Players were depicted as saviors of the world who cleansed it of lurking monsters.
PassingNote: Let's have a trade.
For every 50 power stones, I will provide a bonus chapter. After chapter 15, the novel will be updated twice a day.