Wayne couldn't explain to Raymond that the Fear and Holy Fire from that night were cast by something called a vending machine. The existence of a "Net Cafe Defense Mechanism" was far too absurd for anyone in this world to grasp. Not wanting to argue further, he simply asked, "Enough of that. Do you have money?"
Raymond nodded vigorously. "As long as you're willing to accept me, I am willing to pay tuition!"
"You've already paid the fee," Wayne said. "Come here tomorrow at noon to play the game."
Raymond hesitated. "But... I sincerely wish to learn magic from you teacher, not to play that game..."
"Playing the game is part of the cultivation!" Wayne cleared his throat. "Those spells—Fel Armor, Felguards, Infernals—I figured them all out through the game."
Since he had seen them while playing the game in his previous life, he could technically guarantee that not a single word of that was a lie. He might not have been a Warlock himself, but he had certainly played one.
Hearing this, Raymond hurriedly agreed.
Looking at the cluttered room, Wayne didn't hold back with his new apprentice and had Raymond help him set up. They worked for over half an hour until the chairs were in place and the screens were mounted on the walls. By then, it was past 3:00 AM, and Wayne's eyelids were practically glued shut.
Still, he worried if Raymond had seen him moving things from the cellar. He tested him: "Did you see the people who delivered these items just now?"
Raymond looked bewildered. "Teacher... should I say I saw them or I didn't?"
"It's just the two of us. Tell the truth."
"I didn't see anyone..."
"Then what did you see?"
"I came over from the inn and saw you we're preparing to tidy up the room."
Wayne felt relieved, knowing Raymond's awe of him was too great to risk lying. "Alright. Then next time I'll introduce you to the delivery crew. You'll have to help with the heavy lifting in the future."
Raymond agreed repeatedly. Before leaving, he took out a Soul Shard and began to chant. After three seconds, the violet light turned green, and the shard transformed into a small, dimly glowing green stone.
"Teacher, although the effect of this Healthstone is limited, it won't conflict with the powerful ones you create. It might be of minor help in a moment of need. Please accept it."
The Healthstone was a unique Warlock spell that restored health like a potion. Clearly, Raymond's version was the lowest tier with very limited healing. Wayne took it, thinking, So a Warlock's 'candy' is this small. I wonder if it tastes sweet.
Before letting him go, Wayne remembered McBride's orders to Willem. He told Raymond to head to Northshire Valley first thing in the morning to inform them that the net cafe had been upgraded. Raymond took the order and left.
Looking at the upgraded net cafe and having gained a useful errand-running apprentice, Wayne felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He didn't even bother going back to his room; he reclined the ergonomic chair and fell into a comfortable sleep right there.
He didn't wake up until 10:30 AM. After a quick wash and a bite to eat, he sat on the wooden chair nearest the door and began a rare daytime gaming session.
He had only been playing for two minutes when there was a knock at the door. Wayne took off the goggles and looked out—it was the Westbrook Garrison quartet. It was as if they had bloodhound noses; the moment he started playing, they appeared and were now grinning at him through the window.
Wayne shouted irritably, "I'm not open yet! Besides, weren't you supposed to stay away today?"
"No, no, wait until noon."
Verdan raised his hands; his left held a bundle wrapped in oil paper, and his right held a bottle of wine. "We brought roasted meat and Menethil red wine from the inn! Owner Wayne, open up!"
The four of them had become quite close to Wayne. Verdan had even started calling him "Waynhe Boyo"—a nickname derived from Wayne's family name "Miller."
Dammit. Wayne knew better than to turn down a free lunch. Since it didn't break any rules, he might as well take it.
He opened the door. The four men entered and saw the once-empty room now filled with chairs and screens. Including the one Wayne was using, the number of goggles had increased to six. This meant the net cafe had truly upgraded, and tomorrow they could finally play together.
Despite their excitement, they sat quietly behind Wayne to watch him solo the Khezu. They had even picked up the word "badass" (牛逼) from Wayne over the last few days.
"That monster really kills the appetite..." Hudson muttered.
"Wayne uses the Light Bowgun so well," Verdan added. "I'm going to try it tomorrow."
"Try my foot!" Hicks snapped. "When we fight Hogger, are you going to use a pea-shooter?"
"Screw you, can't I just play around in the game?"
"The Commander sent us here to train for hunting Hogger, not for you to mess around!"
The two began to bicker, their voices getting louder. Wayne pulled off his goggles and shot them a glare. They immediately shut up and sat back, not daring to speak. In that brief distraction, Wayne took an electric orb to the face, losing a third of his health.
Hudson tried to smooth things over. "Let's keep it down so we don't bother Wayne. By the way, I wonder where these monsters come from."
His comment resonated with the others. After days of challenging hunt after hunt, they hadn't stopped to consider how these mysterious creatures were created in the world of Monster Hunter, or what the ultimate purpose was in helping Kokoto Village. They wanted to know how many more monsters like the Diablos and Rathian they had to slay before they could challenge the ultimate boss, the Fatalis.
Watching Wayne play seemed the fastest way to uncover these mysteries. If they played themselves, they wouldn't know how many times they would have to fail and restart.
As they whispered, Wayne once again knocked the Khezu into a stunned state by repeatedly hitting its head. He sheathed his bowgun, repositioned, placed a Large Barrel Bomb, backstepped while reloading, and aimed—all in one fluid motion.
He had switched from Flaming S. to Pierce S. He fired at the bomb near the Khezu's head. A massive explosion erupted, and the paralyzed Khezu let out a piercing shriek. Wayne followed up with a forward roll, standing directly in front of its head. The Pierce shots entered the head and traveled through its body to the tail, dealing maximum damage.
"Whoa! You can do that?!"
The four felt as if a new world had opened to them. They were utterly awestruck by Wayne's mechanics. Within a few rotations, the Khezu was near death. Wayne lured it into a pre-placed trap, hit it with a Tranq Bomb, and successfully captured it.
While organizing his items in the village, Wayne took off the goggles and asked, "How can you be away from the barracks all day? What if the Gnolls attack Westbrook Garrison?"
The four smiled proudly. Hudson, the highest-ranking, explained: "While some Gnolls have enough intelligence to cast basic magic, most are stupid and only use simple weapons. In the wild, they are a threat due to their numbers and ferocity, but they don't know how to build siege engines. Attacking a fortified garrison is suicide for them."
"That said," Hicks added, "we can't just ignore them. They frequently raid farms across Elwynn Forest and ambush caravans. Driven by animal instinct, they gather wherever there is food. The number of Gnolls in that camp is rising. We don't have enough troops to guard every farm and road, so the Commander's plan is a single, decisive strike to wipe out the camp."
Just as Hicks finished, the door was pushed open.
"Thinking only of wasting time here instead of repelling the enemy... you have no right to call yourselves soldiers."
The five people in the shop turned to look. It was Willem from Northshire Valley. Facing the insult, Hicks stood up and marched over to Willem until they were nose-to-nose. "We are here for training under the military orders of Commander Rainier. If you can't remember that, I can help you find your memory in a special way."
The two soldiers behind Willem stepped forward, looking ready to surround Hicks. Willem held them back, but his expression wasn't one of restraint—it was pure contempt. He didn't answer Hicks. Instead, he said loudly, "Deputy Rainier is only a 7th-rank Knight Lieutenant. Did he never teach you to salute a superior officer?!"
The Westbrook group's faces turned red. Despite their anger, internal brawling or insubordination carried severe penalties, including the Stormwind Stockade. Even a charge of disrespecting a superior could mean five days in solitary confinement.
Hudson raised his right hand to his brow, palm horizontal. "Salutations, Major."
Willem didn't press them further. He pushed Hicks aside and spoke to Wayne, who was still sitting at the first station. "Get me three seats."
Wayne hadn't turned around, but he had heard everything and saw the reflection in an unpowered screen nearby. He had no intention of catering to someone like Willem. Keeping his focus on the game, he said in an indifferent tone, "The other two need to pay membership fees. Pay in advance for your playtime, then find your own seats."
"What kind of attitude is that?!" Willem snapped. "Get up!"
"Read the rules on the wooden sign by the door," Wayne replied. "If you're not playing, please leave."
One of Willem's subordinates pulled him back and gave him a look, suggesting there was no need to argue with Wayne. Willem nodded displeasedly. The soldier handed Wayne a coin purse heavy with 34 gold coins: 10 for two memberships, and 24 for 8 hours of play for three people.
Wayne took off his goggles and caught the bag. He was secretly thrilled; he now had 102 gold in savings, one-fifth of the way to his 500-gold goal.
"Names. I need to create accounts so you can level up," Wayne told the soldier. Accounts were actually automatic, but he wanted to know who these people were.
The soldier pointed to himself. "Lainie. 6th-rank Knight." Then he pointed to the man behind Willem. "Brother Samuel, 4th-rank Master Sergeant. We are all officers of the Northshire Valley Defense Force under Marshal McBride."
Hearing this, the Westbrook quartet felt even more ashamed. Wayne suppressed a laugh. After all their bragging about being nobles and veterans, Hudson, their highest-ranking member, was only a 4th-rank Master Sergeant—the same rank as the lowest-ranking lackey from Northshire.
Wayne pointed to the inner seats on the left. "You three can sit there. It'll be easier for multiplayer."
Lainie ignored Wayne and followed Willem to their seats. Once they sat down and entered the game, they actually appeared together in the multiplayer hub. Lainie and Samuel, playing for the first time, were overwhelmed with wonder, shouting in amazement. Even Willem, on his second visit, felt the shock of seeing his subordinates standing right beside him in the game world. It far exceeded his expectations.
The Westbrook group was watching Wayne solo a Gravios—a massive wyvern covered in rock-hard shells. Hicks nudged Hudson and Verdan. "Hey, let's go see how the three of them are doing."
"Why?" they asked.
"I'm not looking!" Hicks said irritably. "Who the hell wants to see them? I'm watching Wayne play to learn technique!"
But at the mention of multiplayer, curiosity got the better of them. They turned to look at the three screens on the other side of the room. Sure enough, Willem was leading his subordinates to hunt a Velocidrome, giving orders and guidance within the game.
"Why didn't those two have to do the novice quests?" Hudson asked.
The quartet looked at each other. Hicks said, "If you don't know, ask Wayne!"
Wayne, who had been playing with low volume to keep an ear on them, spoke up: "If you play in a group with someone who has already finished the novice quests, you can skip them and jump straight into that person's missions." This was a special setting unique to this "Enhanced Edition" of Monster Hunter G.
"Oh... I see..." The quartet realized this was great; if they brought friends in the future, they could skip the tutorials and go straight to team hunting.
At that moment, someone else entered. Wayne looked back—it was Raymond. Seeing Wayne, Raymond's face became solemn with reverence. "Teacher, I have arrived. I have notified the Northshire group as per your instructions..."
He stopped mid-sentence, seeing Willem already playing inside. He realized he was actually the late one.
The Westbrook quartet looked at Wayne in shock. "Tea... Teacher?!"