Ali's gaze remained locked on Jacob, unwavering as he assessed the white-haired young man sitting across from him. "You're being extra friendly towards a newcomer just because I can fight?" Ali's tone was as cold as ever, his eyes piercing into Jacob's.
Jacob blinked, but before he could respond, Ali continued, "That seems kinda desperate, Jacob. Let me guess—you don't have many friends around here, do you?"
Jacob's eyes widened, clearly caught off guard by the observation. He stayed silent for a moment, his usual playful demeanour faltering. When he spoke again, it was with a forced lightness, brushing the comment aside. "Anyway, I'm leaving this place in a couple hours while you've got four worlds left in this shithole. You could ask me for advice, you know—since I'm your senior and all," he said, smiling cheekily in an attempt to regain control of the conversation.
"I'm good," Ali replied bluntly. "You just have to wait four days, and I'll follow behind you." Ali paused for a moment, his expression shifting slightly. "Actually, I'm curious about something."
Jacob, eager to keep Ali talking, perked up. "Hit me," he said, sensing a possible connection.
"I saw you use wind in your fight back in Tokyo Ghoul. I'm guessing it's something the guild gave you. Do you use spirit to control the air? How does it work?"
Jacob grinned, pleased with Ali's interest. "Oh, spirit. You're probably new to seeing magic, right? Here's how the Air Guild master explained it to me. Every player has a hidden power called spirit, but it stays locked until you gain a skill that requires magic to activate. In my case, I was given one of the weaker abilities in the guild—Air Bullet. Once the system registered the skill as mine, I felt this sudden rush of air, like a refreshing breeze that came out of nowhere."
He paused to take a sip of water before continuing. "After that, it was like I gained control over something new in my body. It's different for every player, but for me, it felt like a muscle, stretched across my whole body. When I used Air Bullet, I could feel that muscle weaken, which told me how much spirit I had left. After practicing a bit, I got a good sense of how much spirit I use every time."
Ali nodded slightly, absorbing the information. "Thanks. That was helpful."
Jacob was about to respond when his gaze shifted, narrowing as he noticed someone approaching. A woman with dark hair and a brown cloth wrapped around her eyes walked toward their table, flanked by two large men wearing the official uniforms of the Stone Guild. Her presence exuded power and authority, even though her eyes were covered. Jacob muttered a curse under his breath.
The woman stopped next to their table, her height modest at five foot four, but the tension in the air around her was palpable. She directed her gaze—if one could call it that—at Jacob. "I know what you did, kid. The Stone Guild doesn't forget those who cause us harm, even if they run to another level. You will pay for killing him. That's a promise," she said, her tone cold and resolute.
Jacob looked up at her with disinterest, clearly unconcerned by her threat. So,how she noticed his nonchalance which only seemed to infuriate her further, as she clenched her fists and stepped closer.
"Back off," Ali said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. The woman paused, now turning her attention to Ali, sizing him up through the brown cloth tightly rapped around her eyes.
"This is none of your business," she retorted sharply.
Ali sighed, clearly unamused. He looked up at her with his midnight coloured eyes, unleashing a wave of killing intent so potent that it sent chills through the bones of everyone on the second floor. Conversations around them fell silent as the other players visibly trembled, they all focused on Ali's table now. Even the woman, who had seemed so confident moments before, froze under the weight of his gaze.
"Fuck off, bitch, or the Stone Guild will be picking up your corpse in pieces off the floor," Ali threatened the women with a tone that made it seem his words were a promise written in stone.
The woman's face paled. She hesitated for a moment, then clicked her tongue in frustration. Without another word, she turned on her heel and left, her two lackeys following behind her.
Jacob exhaled, shaking his head. "Thanks, man. I'm sorry. Now you've got a big target on your back."
Ali's expression didn't change. "You're doing something wrong if you don't have a target on your back. Who was she?" he asked, watching the woman through the window as she made her way toward the Stone Guild's base.
"That's the Stone Guild master for this Slum base. She's a strong player who retired at the third level and now works full-time as a guild master," Jacob explained.
"Retired?" Ali's brow furrowed. "I didn't know Paradise allowed players to just quit."
"Not quit. It's like the shopkeepers here. A player can apply to a Paradise official to stop going on missions so they can work full-time jobs. In her case, running the guild. Paradise only allows players who are skilled at a certain craft or those with strong guild connections to do that, though. Otherwise, every weakling would be banging on their door."
Jacob leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "But you want to know something really interesting?"
Ali folded his arms. "I'm listening."
"There are rumours she got something called a sacrificial reward. They say Paradise offered her a high-level reward in exchange for her eyes. I've always wondered what could possibly be worth giving up your sight for."
Ali's thoughts churned at the mention of the sacrificial reward. 'Paradise keeps getting more twisted,' he mused.
Before he could dwell further, Catherine arrived with their food. Ali and Jacob each paid for their meals—1 Paradise coin per burger—before digging in.
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Five extra chapters on patreon.com/Rondo312