Jas proceeded to eat with Arthur.
"Co on, let's eat. I want you to try the food here."
Before Arthur could refuse, Jas grabbed his wrist and dragged him along like an overeager puppy.
Arthur didn't resist.
Inside the ss hall, soldiers and recruits filled the space. The sll of grilled at and seasoned rice lingered in the air.
Still, he ate without enthusiasm.
Jas, on the other hand, ate like a starving beast, devouring his al between bursts of conversation.
"So," Jas said through a mouthful of food, "what do you think?"
Arthur swallowed, setting his fork down. "It's food."
Jas chuckled. "You're a tough one to impress, huh?"
Arthur didn't respond.
After they finished eating, Jas stretched and stood up. "Alright, let's continue the tour."
Arthur ntally sighed. More brainwashing.
Jas led him to a massive gym, the largest Arthur had ever seen, although he hadn't seen many. It had rows upon rows of weightlifting machines, advanced equipnt designed to target every muscle group, and even an entire basketball court for soldiers to unwind.
Jas gestured proudly. "Pretty impressive, right?"
Arthur acted surprised, giving a small nod.
In reality?
He couldn't care less.
Everyone here was either a potential enemy or a brainwashed puppet. He had no plans to play basketball or lift weights, he wasn't in the mood nor did he have enough ti to do so.
If the worlds were rging, his in-ga strength would eventually transfer to real life. When that happened, this entire gym would be nothing but child's play.
So why waste ti?
Jas, of course, didn't notice Arthur's lack of interest. He kept up the enthusiastic tour, showing off the combat training center, the simulation rooms, and even the dormitory recreational lounge.
Arthur pretended to be engaged, nodding and asking the occasional question.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Jas clapped his hands together. "Alright, that concludes the tour!"
Arthur exhaled quietly. Finally.
Jas grinned. "We should add each other in Armageddon. Maybe do so hunting together."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. "I'm stuck in prison inside the village. anwhile, you're most likely in the city. How's that gonna work?"
Jas blinked. "Prison? You're in prison?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly. Was he faking it? Did he really not know?
After a mont, Arthur decided to test him.
He casually recounted the mayor incident, explaining how he got himself thrown in jail alongside Adam.
Jas listened intently, his eyes widening slightly.
Then—
Jas burst into laughter.
"Wow, you guys are having all the fun! Your mayor sounds like a real villain. Ours is so… vanilla in comparison."
Arthur wasn't sure whether Jas was pretending not to know or if Adam had deliberately kept him in the dark. Either way, sothing told him that the man in front of him wasn't as simple as he seed.
He'd have to be careful.
Jas, still oblivious to Arthur's thoughts, stretched his arms behind his head and grinned. "Wanna hit the gym? You could use a proper training session."
Arthur waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. Not interested."
Jas shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll catch you later, then."
With a casual wave, he turned and headed off toward the gym, his red hair catching the last glimrs of sunlight.
Arthur watched him go for a second before turning toward the dormitory.
He didn't trust Jas. You wouldn't reach his status, with just talent. To be picked as the captain, of the strongest beta players team, you must be trusted by the military.
By the ti Arthur made it back to his room, the sun had dipped below the horizon.
He sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples.
Donald.
Arthur needed to contact him. He needed to check on Charlotte. To see her. Talk to her. Make sure she was okay.
But he didn't.
Not yet.
He had a feeling Donald wouldn't do anything rash. Not to Charlotte. If anything, the man would co to him soon enough.
Arthur just had to be patient.
With nothing else to do, Arthur pulled up the Armageddon forums.
As expected, the place was flooded with discussions, rumours, and theories.
A pinned post caught his eye—
"GUYS! There are already five people at Level 14! How is that possible?!"
Arthur arched an eyebrow. He hadn't looked at the leaderboard ranking ever since it ca out, but it seed like he caught up to the top rankers.
The thread was filled with comnts—
"And the rest of the top 100? The lowest is Level 10! This is insane. How are people levelling so fast?!"
"I'm stuck at Level 8. I can't wait to leave the village and head to the city… but it sounds dangerous as hell."
"Yeah, I heard the city is insane. Dangerous, but filled with opportunities. The real ga starts there."
...
Arthur scrolled through the forums a little longer, watching as the discussions blurred together—speculations, theories, heated argunts about the best ways to level up.
But after a while, his eyelids grew heavy.
He glanced at the clock. 'Still, a few hours left before he could log back in again with a full daily tir.'
With a quiet sigh, Arthur shut off the screen and leaned back against the pillow. Just a short rest. Enough to let ti pass.
...
A sharp buzz jolted him awake.
Arthur groggily reached for his phone, silencing the alarm he had set.
It was ti.
Dragging himself to the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face, rubbing away the last remnants of sleep. The cold bite of the water helped.
He didn't waste another second.
Arthur lay back down on the couch, closed his eyes, and—Logged in.
The familiar pull of transition swallowed him whole.
When his vision cleared, he was no longer in his dorm room.
Instead—he was back in the inn.
He didn't linger.
Ti to move.
Rising from the bed, Arthur stretched briefly before slipping on his mask. The shift was instant. Azarel now stood in place of Arthur Fate.
He stepped out into the morning bustle of the city.
The streets of Caldera were already alive, filled with rchants setting up their stalls, adventurers gearing up for quests, and chatter flowing from every direction.
Arthur moved through the crowds, heading toward his destination.
The Gilderhaven Guild.
Arthur pushed through the doors, stepping into the grand hall.
"Ti to submit the mission," Arthur muttered.
"Welco," she greeted.
Arthur reached into his inventory, pulling out the bag of fangs.
"I'm here to submit a mission," he said simply.
She took the bag from him, inspecting the contents before nodding.
"Blackwater Hollow, right?"
Arthur nodded.
"Give a mont to verify."
She turned, opening a drawer beneath the desk and pulling out a small, glowing crystal. Placing it over the bag, the crystal pulsed faintly, confirming the authenticity of the materials.
A chi echoed.
[Ding! You have completed the D-Level quest: Retrieve fifty fangs of Poisonous Painted Serpents from Blackwater Hollow. Quest duration: Seven days.]
[Reward: 10 Gold Coins & Rare Poison Vial.]1
[Ding! Reputation Increased by 50]
Arthur glanced at the reputation increasing and nodded his head. Although the increase was very minimal. It was still better than nothing.
Arthur didn't care about the 10 gold coins that were transferred to his account.
It was the reputation that mattered.
The 10% tax has already been deducted. For example, the person who sets the task gives the guild 10 gold coins. So the guild simply places 9 gold coins as a reward.
Reviews
All reviews (0)