As Ren and Kai exited the cave, the golden hues of the setting sun bathed the landscape in warmth. Both of them were visibly exhausted after spending 16 hours in the treacherous dungeon. Ren glanced at Kai, who was struggling to stay on his feet, and without hesitation, scooped him up again in a princess carry.
Kai squirmed awkwardly in Ren's arms. This time, he noticed something different. Ren's grip was stronger, his hands rougher, evidence of the grueling battles they'd endured. Kai's eyes flicked to Ren's face. The dark blue of Ren's eyes seemed deeper now, almost glowing in the fading sunlight, and his silver hair gleamed like polished metal.
However, from Kai's vision point by being directly underneath him, the sharp angles of Ren's face gave him an unexpectedly gruesome appearance.
How can someone so good looking look so ugly from this angle? Kai thought, trying to suppress a laugh.
Ren's voice interrupted his musings. "Are you staring at me because you're plotting how to kill me, or what?"
Kai blinked, startled. "W-What? No! I was just...uh..."
"Thinking I'm beautiful?" Ren teased, smirking.
Kai's face turned red as he stammered, "N-No! I mean... you're not that... I mean...!" He groaned and gave up, covering his face with his hands. "Just put me down already!"
Ren chuckled, his smirk widening. "Relax, Kai. You've earned the ride this time." He adjusted his grip, carrying Kai as if he weighed nothing, and continued walking.
Kai peeked through his fingers, noticing the tired but satisfied look on Ren's face. Despite his teasing, Ren had carried him through danger without hesitation. Maybe it wasn't so bad to rely on someone for a while, even if that someone had an annoyingly smug attitude.
"Fine," Kai muttered, crossing his arms. "But next time, I'm carrying you."
Ren laughed, a deep and genuine sound that echoed through the evening air. "We'll see about that, partner."
Ren and Kai arrived at the village just as the gates were about to close for the night. They quickly approached the guards, who allowed them entry after a brief chat. Upon entering, the guards informed them of the village's rules:
1. No littering.
2. No stealing.
3. No using powers in town fights.
4. No destruction of buildings.
5. No killing.
6. No stalking elves or beast-women.
"Wow," Kai exclaimed, his eyes wide. "People stalk women so much that it had to become an official rule?"
One of the guards glanced at Kai, who was still being carried by Ren, then turned his gaze to Ren. A smirk tugged at the corner of the guard's lips as he remarked, "Well, judging by your partner's appearance, he's the one who's going to get stalked the most."
Kai blinked, startled, before realizing the guard was talking about Ren. He stammered, "W-What? Him?"
Ren raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Great," he muttered dryly. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."
The guard chuckled, waving them through. "Good luck, boys. Welcome to the village."
As they walked further inside, Kai glanced at Ren and snickered. "Guess you're the real heartthrob here, huh?"
Ren shot him a glare, but there was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Keep talking, and I'll drop you right here."
Kai laughed. "I'd like to see you try, pretty boy."
Ren sighed but couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face.
Ren, without warning, dropped Kai onto the ground. Kai groaned, glaring up at him. "You're evil!" he scoffed, brushing himself off.
As he got to his feet, he noticed four familiar figures in the distance. His eyes widened, and without a second thought, he sprinted toward them. As he reached the group, he swung two quick punches, hitting Lyli and Jake square in their faces.
"Ow! Okay, okay, we deserved that, but that really hurt, Kai!" Jake complained, rubbing his jaw.
"Yeah, you do," Kai shot back, but his anger quickly melted as he pulled two smaller children, Ash and Siel, into a tight hug. "I found you guys!" he exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. "I also have something for the two of you. Are you hurt? Is everything okay?"
Ash looked up at Siel, then at Ren, who had calmly followed Kai and now stood a few paces away. "Is the big handsome guy big brother's boyfriend?" Ash asked innocently, his voice carrying just enough curiosity to make Kai freeze.
Siel doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach, while Kai's face turned an impressive shade of red, both from anger and embarrassment.
"Ash! Stop saying ridiculous things!" He said.
Meanwhile, Lyli and Jake couldn't contain their laughter either, until their eyes shifted to Ren. Their chuckles abruptly died as they took in his imposing figure and icy demeanor. The cold intensity of Ren's gaze silenced the group, leaving a tense silence in its wake.
Jake nervously scratched the back of his head, muttering, "So… that's the guy Ash was talking about?"
Lyli nodded slowly, still eyeing Ren warily. "Yeah. That's him."
Kai looked at them suspiciously. "Do you guys know him?" he asked, his tone laced with doubt.
Lyli and Jake coughed awkwardly. "No, we don't," Lyli said quickly, avoiding his gaze.
Jake nodded in agreement, a bit too enthusiastically. "Yeah, never seen him before," he added, though his voice wavered slightly.
How could they possibly admit the truth? That they, too, had regressed, just like Kai. They knew Kai had regressed because of the warning text he sent before going home to get his siblings. On their way to Kai's dorm after receiving his message, Jake and Lyli had met each other and quickly realized that more than one person had regressed. The moment they saw Ren's incredible power, they assumed he, too, must have regressed. After all, Kai had no prior experience in this world, and the first quest was a basic introduction: simply walking to the village.
There are 20 starter villages and random group spawns, that made it nearly impossible for players to plan their beginnings, Kai's unnaturally good luck seemed to defy all logics again.
Jake and Lyli stood up. "Should we get a room first?" Lyli asked, looking at Kai with a serious expression. "We need to talk, and it might be safer to do it privately." If there are other regressors, this information could be dangerous to leak, she thought.
Kai nodded, his suspicion still lingering. "Alright," he said, his voice cautious. "Let's talk somewhere safe."
Ren took Kai by the hand and pulled him close, his gaze dangerously sharp as he glanced at Jake and Lyli. "I'm coming too," he said, his voice cold and commanding. Kai could feel the tension in the air, and Siel and Ash seemed a little confused by the adult's serious exchange.
Jake and Lyli understood Ren's intentions immediately and nodded, leading the way. They soon reached a nearby inn and booked two rooms: one with two beds for Siel and Lyli, and another with three beds for Jake, Kai, Ren, and Ash. They paid with the gold coins they had received after completing the quest to reach the village.
Once inside, Kai left Siel in charge of Ash in the female room and went into the room where Ren, Jake, and Lyli were already sitting. He sat down, crossing his arms. "Now, explain to me what's really going on," Kai said, his voice serious.
Lyli exchanged a glance with Jake before finally speaking. "Alright, Kai," she began, her tone more somber than before. "We have a lot to explain, and we need you to listen carefully."
"As you know," Jake began, "Lyli and I died in the same quest in the future, which caused us to regress. It seems that everyone who died in that quest ended up regressing to the past." He paused, his expression darkening as he recalled the events. "People will try to level up as quickly as possible in the starter villages and awaken all the rare quest classes and skill quests in the villages, the ones needed for class changes."
Lyli nodded, picking up where Jake left off. "We've confirmed eight regressors in our group by walking around the village. Since we had to take care of Ash and Siel, we also had to train them extra so they could get good classes and skills for the future. We know how important it is to prepare for what's ahead. But if or village is like this then other's are the same."
Kai, who had been listening carefully, sat back, trying to process the information. "So, you're saying the quest that killed you in the future is the reason all of this happened? And now you're trying to make sure it doesn't happen again?"
Jake gave a grim nod. "Exactly. We've learned from the future, and now we have to make sure we do things right. This time, we need to make better choices." He glanced at Lyli, his expression hardening. "We can't afford to make the same mistakes."
Kai looked at them both, their words settling in. Suddenly, Ren spoke up, his voice calm but commanding. "Then let us build a team from the future to survive and insure the right power is whit the right people."
Lyli and Jake looked at each other, wide-eyed. The best player, number one, wanted to build a team with them? The one who never teamed with anyone? The one who had also regressed? This was Kai's luck both of them stared at each other in disbelief. They all locked eyes, and then Ren spoke up.
"Me and Kai have a team base class of the Mythical type SSS+," Ren began, his tone steady. "I know five classes of the SSS Mythical rarity. One is the Dragon Bloodline, a good magic tank class it was exposed to me by player before his death. The second is my old class, Reaper of the Shadows an assassin class. The other three are ones I secretly found: the Dark Summoner, who can summon not only undead like a necromancer but also mythical beasts; and the World Tree Spirit Master, a highly adaptable support class and attack class."
Lyli listened closely. Ren had mentioned four classes that might suit them, but he hadn't spoken about the fifth. Perhaps it didn't seeme like a suiting class for them, or maybe Ren had other reasons for keeping it a secret. Before she could voice her thoughts, a notification popped up.
Ren's voice cut through the silence. "You've received the Reaper class change quest. Please confirm by accepting the quest. You will need to reach a certain level and strength first."
Lyli stood up without saying anything. "Got it. I'll be back tomorrow. I have to train a lot," she said as she headed out.
Suddenly, Jake locked eyes with Ren. Ren took a pen and some paper from Kai's bag, quickly scribbled out a plan, and handed it to Jake.
Jake, eager to get started, stood up and ran out of the room, intent on completing the quest on his own.
Kai looked at Ren and asked, "Will he be fine without sleep?"
Ren just laughed. "It's better this way. Tomorrow, we'll start with your siblings' quests," he said with a smile. "Let's go pick them up and get something tasty to eat."
Kai glanced at Ren before responding, "I'm not cooking. Let's eat at the tavern."
They headed to the room next door, but Lyli wasn't there only Ash and Siel were present. "Guess both of them started their training," Kai muttered. He took Ash and Siel to the tavern for some food. The four of them sat at a table and began to eat.
Ren kept an eye on his system as they ate. Each person had 50 gold coins. Rooms at the inn cost 10 gold per room, and with six people, they had a total of 300 gold. Both rooms were paid for using Ash and Siel's earnings, as all of their gold automatically went to Kai due to his guardian role. The system made money management simple.
Even though Kai had enough gold, Ren paid for the meals of all four of them, which cost 5 gold coins each. After the meal, Kai had 130 gold left, and Ren had 30 gold. Neither of them needed additional training or tools. As they already had enough materials to craft what they needed, thou tomorrow, they'd need to gather materials or craft items better suited for Ash and Siel.
Paying for the rooms turned out to be a smart decision, considering they only had to worry about food and skill books. Since everything else to support Ash and Siel was already in place, it allowed for focused preparation.
As Ash stuffed himself with food, Kai's eyes wandered to his teddy bear, still clutched in his arms. Then Kai spoke, "Maybe I could upgrade Ash's teddy bear tomorrow. What do you think, Ren?"
Ren looked at Kai thoughtfully, then took out two skill scrolls from his inventory and handed one each to Siel and Ash. "You could try," he said, "but maybe start with something simpler, like creating an artifact. It's better to keep important possessions in the inventory for safety. In the meantime, you two should try these scrolls. They're for Wind Blade and Eye of Identification skills."
Siel examined the Wind Blade scroll and activated it, followed by Ash, who mimicked his sister.
Kai stared at Ren in shock. "Where did you get those?"
"I have access to a shop that exchanges points for rare abilities," Ren replied casually. "The points are earned from specific quests. I started with 200 points, and because I got 400 points as a bonus for my first purchase, I bought a few more skills for the kids."
Ren had also purchased the Skill of Truth for himself, allowing him to detect lies, determine the true value of items, and uncover hidden information. This privilege was unique to his new class, which excited him more than anything he had achieved. Each class had better suited skill for them or only suited They also had some downside to them. However, the only downside to this current class, was the permanent bond with Kai restritions. They could not stray far from one another because quest and upgrades can be only found when they are together. So to get Solo quest they needed a forst restriction breaker.
As Ren watched Kai happily eating, an idea struck him. "Kai," he asked, "do you want to combine with me?"
Siel froze mid-bite, her eyes widening as she processed Ren's words. "Did my brother really find boyfriend outside?" she wondered silently.
Kai looked at his system, where a pop-up appeared:
"Combination of Partners"
1. Access of knowledge of each others skills.
2. Access to shared inventory and funds.
3. Gain the ability to read each other's thoughts and communicate mentally.
4. Both guardianship and responsibilities for Ash and Siel will be shared.
5. Enhanced synergy bonuses in combat.
7. Doubling of quest drops.
8. Solo quest can be completed in pairs.
Kai hesitated for a moment, then thought about it. Having an overpowered partner who couldn't betray him, combined with Ren's incredible knowledge, seemed like a perfect deal. Plus the extra bonuses sound tempting. "I accept!" Kai declared loudly.
Siel choked on her food. Unlike Ash, she was old enough to understand the implications of "combining." At 15, she knew that such an agreement wasn't just for teamwork, it was akin to a deep partnership, usually reserved for adults. Why would they talk about this in the middle of a restaurant?
Another message popped up:
"You now have a second guardian."
"If in danger, you may summon one of your guardians for protection."
Siel stared at the two men in front of her, her mind reeling. "Did they just combine their systems... only?" she thought. Unable to keep her curiosity contained, she blurted out, "So the next step is marriage, right?"
Ren froze mid-bite, while Kai nearly choked on his drink. A bright red flush crept up both of their faces as they tried to process her words. Ren looked at Kai helplessly, clearly thinking, How do we explain this without making it worse?
Kai, catching the thought through their newly established mind link, internally groaning. "Siel, no, it's not like that," he said quickly, his tone flustered. "It's just a system mechanic. It has nothing to do with... that."
Siel narrowed her eyes, unimpressed. "Ah-ha, Sure. Combining inventories, sharing things, joint guardianship over kids... Sounds like a marriage system to me."
Ash, oblivious to the tension, continued stuffing his face with food. "Marriage sounds fun! Do we get cake?"
Ren raised his hands defensively. "Siel, listen. This is purely strategic. Combining gives us access to each other's skills and items. It's about synergy in battle, not... whatever you're thinking."
Kai nodded furiously. "Exactly. It's like teamwork, just on a deeper level. Nothing more."
Ren gave Kai a long, unimpressed look, as if silently pleading for him to stop digging the hole any deeper.
Siel leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "Teamwork that works on a deeper level? That's not a team, that's... something new!"
Ren shot another desperate glance at Kai, hoping he'd fix this. Kai sighed, realizing there was no easy way out. "Look, Siel, I know how it sounds, but I promise, this is normal in high-level gameplay. Ren and I just have a better chance of surviving together like this."
Siel tilted her head, skeptical but slightly mollified. "Fine. I'll believe you, for now. But if I see anything weird, I'm calling you out."
Ren exhaled in relief, muttering under his breath, "Weird? Like this conversation hasn't already hit peak weirdness."
Kai, hearing him loud and clear through the mind link, couldn't suppress an internal laugh. We're never living this down, are we?
Not a chance, especially with your answers, Ren replied silently, fighting back a grin.
Ash, having finished his meal, looked up with his usual innocent enthusiasm. "So, does this mean brother is married now? Or does he have a boyfriend? I'm confused."
Kai groaned and buried his face in his hands, while Ren stared up at the ceiling as though searching for divine intervention.
Siel, clearly satisfied with the chaos she'd caused, smirked to herself. "Yup," she thought smugly, "he's definitely calling your lies out."
As the conversation spiraled out of control, Kai and Ren gave up trying to explain, exchanging resigned glances. It was no use. They wouldn't hear the end of this anytime soon.
As the group prepared to leave, Siel leaned over to whisper something to Ash. A moment later, Ash turned to Kai with a wide eyed request.
"Brother," he said innocently, "can I sleep with Siel tonight? Since Lyli isn't back, and, well... it's probably best to leave you two alone."
Kai nearly fell out of his chair, his face burning with embarrassment. Ren, who had been drinking water, choked and started coughing.
Siel's smirk grew wider. "Goodnight, brother," she said sweetly before grabbing Ash's hand and leaving the table, her laughter barely contained.
Kai buried his head in his hands again, muttering, "Why me?"
Ren, still recovering from his coughing fit, simply patted Kai on the back. "At least they're creative?"