Chapter 25
It had now been three days since Zen officially joined the Silverfall Clan and nearly died in the process thanks to the so-called welcome ritual by the others before getting saved by a high-ranker.
In those three days, Zen had made no effort to mingle or warm up to anybody. He was always busy taking on one quest or another, whether it was traveling to a distant village to fetch herbs for the clinic or retrieving weapons from the blacksmiths.
For the most part, all his quests turned out to be errands which were one task after another, running from place to place and yet he never once complained. He always sighed, rolled his shoulders, and did them as if they were of no real bother.
At the end of the day, he would return to his room to rest, leaving the others downstairs in the hall, chatting and bickering late into the night.
By the time morning came, the tables and chairs—and even the bar were often overturned.
Clan members would be found sprawled across the floor or slumped over furniture like a gang of drunkards after a festival. With a quiet sigh, Zen would always get to cleaning and arranging the place, often alone, while the others slept in.
That was his daily routine, and he carried it out without complaint. In all his days there, he had never once laid eyes on a single high-ranker. None of them had descended to the lower levels, and neither had the clan master.
Zen had no real grasp of how the clan functioned, so he simply went along with the flow, content to keep his head down and avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Hey, newbie! Why are you slacking?" someone shouted across the hall.
Zen, with another sigh, strode over to the table.
"Come get me a refill."
He wanted to ask aloud, "What's wrong with your legs?" but, since he didn't know the man's rank, he merely grumbled under his breath, snatched up the glass, and went over to refill it at the counter.
'I wonder if this really is a clan of Reavers or just a gathering of drunkards. I haven't even seen them get serious for once. Always prancing about and bickering. Did I make a mistake joining them?' Zen thought.
The glass filled to the brim and began spilling over, though he didn't even notice.
WACK!
A sharp smack landed on the back of Zen's neck, making him yelp in pain and snap back to reality. He nearly dropped the glass.
"What was th..." he started, then stopped as he looked up at the person in front of him.
Zen saw a young man who looked as though the gods themselves had blessed him with beauty. His slick, combed-back blonde hair gleamed under the lantern light.
His deep blue eyes seemed to swirl like the ocean. He stood tall and broad-shouldered, about six feet in height, his frame carrying a faintly athletic bulk. And his radiant smile… it was almost enough to light up the entire room.
"Where were you lost, huh?" the blonde asked casually.
"I… I… you're… y..." Zen stuttered before slapping his own cheeks and pulling himself together. "You're the one who saved me from that bully that day!"
"Huh?" the blonde muttered, turning slightly as he fetched his own drink. Then he gave Zen a careful scan from head to toe, his eyes widening a moment later in recognition. "Oh! You're that injured guy from the assessment."
"The name's Zen, not injured guy," Zen scoffed before shaking his head. He met the blonde's gaze again. "I never got to thank you properly. So… thank you. That day, when no one else stood up for me, you did. If it weren't for you, my broken hand might have been ripped clean off before it was even treated."
"Nah, it's nothing." The blonde smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "I just couldn't sit back and watch a coward attack an injured fellow."
"Hmm. That's nice of you. Thanks once again," Zen said with a calm, warm smile when...
"Hey, newbie! Where's my damn drink?" a voice shouted from across the hall.
"I'm coming!" Zen snapped back in irritation, a vein visibly throbbing on his temple. "Anyway, I'll be seeing you around… uhm…"
"Jace," the blonde said with a wide grin. "The name is Jace."
"Yeah, whatever. Thanks again." Zen turned and bolted off, drink in hand.
'Now that I got away from him… what the hell is this notification?' Zen thought as he handed the man his drink.
"Took you long enough," the man scoffed, but Zen wasn't even listening. His eyes were fixed on the glowing system panel flashing before him.
[Congratulations, Host! You have just discovered another person.]
'Huh? Another person? What does that even mean?' Zen frowned at the message.
{Guess you're not the only one who got pulled, huh?}
'Oh, shut up and explain what you mean, you damn system!' Zen roared internally.
[Host has just discovered another player. You challenged the game, claiming you could make something better. Because of your status as a pro player, you ridiculed it.]
{So prove you are a better player than Jace.}
'Wait… Jace is also a player who got pulled into the game?' Zen's heartbeat quickened at the thought. He wasn't alone. Someone else from the real world was here.
He spun around, scanning the hall for Jace, but the blonde was gone. Vanished as if he'd never been there. A faint chill crept up Zen's spine.
[New Quest Received!]
'Quest?'
{The Game Lord has decided to pull people from reality at random into the game to spice things up. He's bored. From now on, Host will not only be facing ordinary game humans or NPCs, but real humans as well.}
{Note: After this notification, you will never be told whether someone is an NPC or a real human. Figure it out with your little brain.}
{Be warned— not all of them are calm-headed. Tread carefully, or don't. I don't care. Good luck, our cherished NPC.}
'Damn… Jace isn't the only one?' Zen's eyes swept over the clan members chatting and laughing. 'Who here is just a game character… and who's real? Do I stick with the ones who got pulled in, or keep my distance?'
His head throbbed with the weight of it all. 'No… I need to find Jace. I need answers.
With that, Zen hurried off, searching every nook and cranny of the Silverfall Clan's lower levels, hoping to catch even a glimpse of the blonde player who might hold the truth.