After instructing the vagrants to deliver the message, Roy and the Elven girl did not linger and returned home.
On the way back, the Elven girl couldn't help but be curious. "What did you do to them?"
Roy said calmly, "Nothing much. When I first arrived in Orario, I ate one bowl of liangfen (jelly noodles). They insisted I ate two. So, I had to take out their eyeballs and swallow them, letting them see whether I ate one bowl or two."
"..." The Elven girl understood. It was a story about a bandit running into a tyrant.
The vagrants, having been severely dealt with by Roy once, were left with deep psychological trauma. They dared not mislead Roy, especially since a reward was involved.
These vagrants, like the Dark Faction adventurers, were at the bottom rung of Orario society. They usually hid in dark corners, making a living by scamming people.
They naturally had connections to find members of the Rudra Familia.
The message soon reached the chief god Rudra.
He was a man with Indian-style appearance and clothing, radiating a faint divine aura that let people know he was a God. Hearing that Astraea, the Goddess of Justice, invited him to a meeting, God Rudra laughed, banging his hand on the table.
As a God from the Eastern region, he had many subordinates from India who were familiar with the history of a certain great power next door. The Familia Captain was one of them, and the middle-aged man looked wary. "Hsiang Yu invites Liu Bang!" (A reference to a treacherous banquet in Chinese history, the Hongmen Banquet).
Many Familia members spoke up to dissuade him, suspecting it was a trap to lure them out and use the bounty to wipe them all out!
In fact, when Ryuu issued the "War Game" declaration, God Rudra had wanted to immediately accept because the prospect of such fun was irresistible.
It was the strong opposition from his Familia members that barely stopped him. The Ganesha Familia, who had excellent relations with the Astraea Familia, were watching them closely.
Could they afford not to get involved?
They wouldn't stand a chance against the S-rank Ganesha Familia.
But this time, Rudra's mind was made up. He countered, "What happened to Liu Bang later?"
"He became the Emperor..." The Familia Captain froze, saying uncertainly, "Then should we attend the banquet?"
Orario, Daedalus Street.
This was a complex area where the city's poor residents clustered, its terrain resembling a maze. It was said that once you accidentally entered, you could never get out.
Inside an unremarkable tavern.
God Rudra walked in with two bodyguards. He immediately spotted Goddess Astraea, who was cloaked and concealing her identity, and behind her, the Elven girl with a tight face full of hatred and killing intent.
Ryuu clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug into her palm, and she didn't react even when blood dripped out. That was the culprit, the chief god who founded the Rudra Familia!
Rudra also stared at the Elven girl with interest. "If you can maintain that expression, I'd be delighted to have you join my Familia."
Ryuu's face contorted, and she nearly drew her sword.
"Cough!"
Goddess Astraea looked displeased.
Rudra's attention returned to Goddess Astraea. Surprised, he laughed, "I never expected to meet the Goddess who oversees Justice."
As a cruel and wicked god in Hindu mythology, Rudra was naturally opposed to Justice.
"God Rudra, let's skip the nonsense. Let's have the War Game and settle this karma!" Astraea did not give him any pleasantries.
"I have no objection," Rudra chuckled. Since he had come, it meant he had already decided to proceed with the War Game.
"Then, the rules of the War Game are..." Astraea's lips moved, and her almost inaudible voice fell upon God Rudra and the others present.
Everyone in the tavern suddenly widened their eyes.
Rudra's body trembled slightly, and his eyes shone with an unprecedented, excited, and fervent light.
...
While Ryuu protected Goddess Astraea during her meeting with God Rudra, Roy seized the time to run a dungeon instance alone.
For the upcoming War Game, every second had to be transformed into nourishment for growth.
Instance: Highschool of the DeadDifficulty: LV.1~LV.2Description: Over ninety percent of the world's population has turned into zombies, plunging the world into chaos and disorder. Main Quest: Gain 1 Status Point for every ten zombies killed. Achieve one thousand kills to trigger a Special Reward—a Potion Chest (containing at least one High-Grade Potion). Extra Quest: Save the World...
Since he didn't bring his LV.4 mercenary, Roy honestly returned to an instance he could handle on his own.
However, when he saw the instance reward, Roy almost thought he had misread it. What the hell is this? 1 Status Point? Is this a handout for beggars!
He quickly realized: he had become stronger!
As his strength increased, the rewards for different instances also changed.
The zombies in this instance were barely stronger than Goblins. With his current ability scores, it wouldn't be very difficult to sweep through them, so naturally, it wouldn't offer high rewards.
If he had been there right after receiving his Falmna, the reward would probably have been 1 Status Point per zombie killed.
Roy didn't complain. If he were willing to gamble his life, there were instances with high rewards.
[Fate/Zero Instance: Hunt Zouken Matou. Reward: 4000 Status Points, Silver Chest.]
[Naruto Instance: Hunt Orochimaru. Reward: 10000 Status Points, Gold Chest.]
...
Roy coveted the rewards for these instances but dared not enter. The probability of being counter-killed was too high.
Toko City, Japan.
When Roy opened his eyes, he appeared on a rooftop. Standing high above, the classic scenery of Japan greeted him—a beautiful, comfortable, and pleasant day. But the situation below was far from harmonious.
The streets were filled with walking dead zombies, their skin dry and eyes vacant.
At a glance, there were at least a hundred of them.
Roy frowned. All fear stemmed from insufficient firepower. If he had heavy weapons, forget one thousand zombies, he was confident he could cut through even ten thousand!
But before that...
Roy carefully walked down. The zombies in this world were attracted by sound, and with his SS-rank Dexterity, silent walking was easy.
Entering a convenience store at the intersection, the employee had long turned into a zombie. Roy indulged in some "zero-dollar shopping."
Opening the refrigerator, he took out a cold bottle of "fat house happy water" (slang for cola). Roy suppressed his excitement, holding the bottle in his hands as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Fifteen years! Fifteen years without "fat house happy water"! Did anyone know how he had survived those fifteen years?
Roy opened the pull-tab can. The emerging fizz and the familiar faint aroma made his spirit surge. Unable to resist any longer, he took a deep gulp.
The carbonated drink slid down his throat, the stimulating sensation shooting straight to his head. Roy was almost tempted to scream in pleasure.
A moment later, the feeling vanished.
Roy's face showed reluctance, but after taking a second sip, he discarded the "fat house happy water," which was now tasteless to him—a pity to waste, but joyless to consume.
The joy of the two-yuan drink: the first sip was worth two yuan, the second was worth forty-eight mao (48 cents), and the rest wasn't worth a single cent!