As the elevator descended, a brief silence ensued in it, the girls occasionally glancing at Paxton, who seemed to have been lost in thoughts.
They say people build first impressions of others with a glance and other times by getting to know them; after all, you can't judge a book by its cover.
But Paxton begged to differ at this very moment. 'What was with that arrogant reaction? How dare she? Who the fuck does she think she is?'
He may as well just be reading too much into things, but if there was one thing he trusted, that would be his judgment of character.
He could tell what a person's overall character would be like from a single glance, and from the expression Dollina held when she turned away from him, he could make a guess of what went through her head.
Of course, he could be terribly wrong.
"Hey Paxton, have you transformed into your character yet?" Ruby's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He flinched, turning to his right to find her gaze fixed on him, worry laced in them.
He sighed. "Sorry, I drifted to my thoughts didn't I?" he asked as he turned away. "Yeah, I did. It's a different race, but it's all good".
"Wait?! Seriously?! Ruby was a fairy too! Ow Man, why didn't I get something cool like you two?".
Ruby giggled while Paxton glanced at her.
"A fairy?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "...and my property….is sugar".
Paxton's brow raised instantly, confusion etched on his face. "Sugar?". He asked.
The girl nodded. "I know it sounds sweet and lovely….but I'm a Caster, so it's actually quite powerful".
'What? A Transcendent Sugar Fairy that's a Caster?'. His surprise was etched on his expression, his confusion palpable for a few seconds before turning away.
"I can't wait to see you transformed, Ruby".
Ruby flinched at his statement, a slight blush forming on her cheeks when the elevator suddenly dinged.
They walked out as it opened, their gazes scanning the room they had walked in.
"What floor is this?" Paxton asked.
"the fifth…" Ruby replied.
"This building has thirteen floors, each with a different purpose…of course, we know that much". Flora explained. "...but not every floor is open to new players. We'll also get missions and assigned to guilds from here….but most importantly, the facilities provided are indeed high tech".
"You did your homework" Paxton mused, a bit of amusement laced in his tone.
"I sure did…well, I was searching for the training facility….my abilities are a little confusing and I thought I would figure it out better once I find one".
"So do I…I'm glad I'm a transcendent but I'm sort of scared of what kind of effect my attack abilities have….from what I read on the descriptions..they're probably going to be explosive".
'Explosive? Sugar rush perhaps….what is she gonna do, give her enemies diabetes?' Paxton thought. '....well, I'm in no condition to talk….a Heroic Sound Vocaloid that's a Brawler…the server works in mysterious ways'.
"I'm a Vocaloid," he said.
"Vocaloid?" the girls repeated as they walked down the hall. Besides them was a large window wall, where the view outside of the building could be seen.
The sky had given way to the moon and the darkness that came with it, a sombre silence brought with it.
"Creatures that possess abilities related to sound…he's pretty cool to look at". He replied with a slight chuckle in his voice.
The sounds of people chattering soon reached his ear, a slight discomfort growing in the process.
"The cafeteria sounds busy". He said
The two girls glanced at each other, before turning towards him.
"I can guess why the server gave you a creature that controls sounds as your character now".
Paxton scoffed as they got to a large door that opened on scanning their figures.
These doors were usually impenetrable to sounds and noise, meant to keep the large building of the World Player Association as calm and orderly as possible.
On entering, they were met by a rowdy sight with some players in their transformed state and others just having a chat while eating.
The sight was amusing, and their attention was often grabbed by the activities carried out.
'Hah…We may be players but we're still kids…'
Kids will act like themselves. Changing into their characters must be their own way of showing off.
The cafeteria was filled with white tables and benches, about fifty, some containing a group of friends or a click, seating and having a chat of some kind.
The group of three arrived at a table, where a familiar figure approached from another.
"Bryan?!" Flora called out in excitement, waving at him at the same time.
"You guys are here too". He said as he took a seat next to Paxton. The benches were arranged round the tables, four each.
"How was the meeting with the Chairman?" Paxton asked.
"I'm glad I went…I've secured a place for myself in the Association's ranks". Bryan explained, a broad smile written on his face.
"Oh?"
"Congratulations, Bryan".
The girls chorused, while Paxton mused in surprise.
"That comes with its perks, I supposed?" Flora asked.
"Yeah, though, for now, I'll have to focus on leveling up after the crash course". He explained. "Why don't you guys join in?" he asked.
"Oh no…we're actually planning on joining one of the guilds", Flora explained, a smile written on her face.
"They also have a perk that helps newbies level up quickly".
"Yeah, I think all guilds have that….so, what about you, Paxton?"
They slowly turned towards him, their gazes held in anticipation. They had an idea of what he would say, but leveling up wouldn't exactly be easy if he decided to really go down the route they expected from him.
"Is it really that difficult to get Web Gates? Those things appear every day, and at least five". He said with a sigh, shrugging off their gazes. "I'll decide later on, but for now….I think I should focus on absorbing everything they plan on teaching us here".
They sighed in unison, their attentions pulled away from him as they continued their discussion on Guilds.
Paxton pulled away from the conversation, his thoughts reeling in. 'Leveling up huh? I need to level up quickly as well….am I going to contact those people too?'
His father had contacts with a group of marketers; they were a shady bunch, but they hid the information of their clients very well.
It was thanks to them that his father was able to level up so quickly after arriving in town only a few years before.
'....Guilds have restrictions and so does the government. If anything, guilds have more freedom than the government ….I can't associate myself with them especially when I'll be cracking down on the bastards that took my dad's life'.
He had a clue as to that as well, but he kept it hidden all this time, waiting for the day he would be chosen for the Test Of Humanity and obtain his abilities.
Now, he had it and nothing would stop him from finding the culprits that turned his life upside down.
"Why don't we order something to eat? I heard every facility will be provided for us for free until the end of the crash course". Bryan asked, his gaze shifting to the counter where state-of-the-art vending machines provided the food, snacks and beverages for the Players.
"Sure, why not…do you guys want anything specifically?" Flora asked as she stood up.
"Anything you guys are taking". Paxton replied while Bryan stood up as well.
They turned towards Ruby, and she shrugged.
"Same here, anything you guys are taking….just don't let it be weird". She glared at Flora, who giggled as they walked away together.
Paxton glanced at flora. "Where's the training room?" he asked.
"Oh, on the tenth and ninth floor, but use the one on the tenth. Only Association Members use the one on the ninth".
"Oh…" Paxton marvelled. He had often wondered about Ruby's abilities to get information on whatever subject she was involved in.
'It's no wonder she got a transcendent skill….if she decided to do one of those missions. She must have done it after collecting as much information as she needed'.
"Oh…in that case, do you know if there's a function in the Training dummies provided to make them move?"
"Oh…well, I think there's a voice command for that, but I'll let you know after I confirm it". She replied, her gaze flickering with intensity.
'A voice command…that simple huh'. Paxton sighed and turned away. His fists were clenched, anticipation brewing in his chest.
The thought of finally fighting against someone, living or not was exciting.