Chapter 22

The First Meeting (2)

And the rest all cross armed nodded.

A sound as if “Kuh” was heard coming from Siva’s mouth and his actions as if being choked gave him away. At that, he said hoarsely, “Are you guys serious?”

“Yes.” Replied Samara. “As you‘ve know, we are a group that are hired always by tourist companies to do explorations around the Central Continent. We’re pretty strong too. And you coming along with us will be good for both sides. The more the merrier, right?”

Hawkeye added, “Actually, as of late, it‘s been kinda boring so adding you to the group will change that.”

Agatha spoke after drinking a sip of her coffee, “It‘s because the requests have been getting harsher and harsher from the clients, their prices for new places for development of a tourist destination have been getting lower and also…” She placed the look on Volt.

“Yeah,” Volt told Siva, “Ever since we met you that day when you fell, it kind of been our conversation to bring you along so we could have fun together.”

“Ah…I appreciate the thought.” Siva smiled but it wasn’t long. “But what I‘m actually concerned here is my personal goal and also I have a skill that will always endanger you all.”

“Skill?” Hawkeye tilted her head adorably.

“Yes. And my goal might actually hinder you all in the future. As you‘ve known, I play this game not to have fun, but to earn money. But most importantly, I‘m here to sell the MODs. I‘m not even planning to keep them for use myself.”

“That‘s extreme!”

“Yeah, I know that already. But, you guys, I actually appreciate the thought. I know all players would like to have a taste of what MODs power up are like, but I‘m not one of them. I‘d rather sell them off.”

“I understand.” Volt was still nodding, seemingly unmoved by his opposition to his worries. And at that, Hawkeye was also nodding cross armed. And then, she raised a finger that made Siva curious.

“Are you perhaps avoiding groups with rules?”

“Rules?” Siva corrected his thoughts. “Not really. I think rules in a group is normal. Though I‘m not sure if you guys are referring to the rules of MOD acquisition.”

“But we don‘t have such rules in our group.” Samara interrupted. “You see, MODs doesn‘t get crafted out of a monster’s belly. After a fight, if a MOD carrying monster dies, that MOD automatically drops off like a normal drop, shining like a gem rock, floating in mid air. That‘s how MODs drop from monsters. And…no one else except the worthy will get the MOD.”

That’s new. Siva thought of this as he pondered. He looked at them one by one and except for the fidgeting Elsie who called herself Agatha inside the game, there were looks of satisfaction on the others’ faces.

“But what do you mean by worthy?” He asked with honest curiosity.

“Simply put.” Volt explained. “The person who had the most performance during the fight gets the right to have the MOD. And we‘re not the ones to decide with it, it‘s the system itself.”

“I see. So basically, the one who exerts the greatest effort gets to be the winner.”

“Basically. But you can always hand over the item if you want. It‘ll just crawl in mid air like a floating gem and until the worthy touched it, no one else can steal it from him or her.”

Once a person gets the MOD, he gets the privilege to do whatever he wants with it, either use it or give it away. In a way, that’s really a good deal. It’s because usually, in most hunting groups, the leader of the party gets to decide what it is to do with their loot. But in this particular adventure team, no, actually, it applies to everyone else, they had the freedom to do whatever they wanted to do with the MOD.

If so, then hat happened to the conflict between TGG and the Sylphiadora Guild?

Siva thought of how it started, in the news he had the chance to have a peek at in the internet, it was said that the Slyphiadora Guild snatched away a Special MOD from a hunting team from Titan Goliath Guild who won it over a hunt. And if that rule applied to everyone else and not just this particular team, then that means that the Sylphs had committed a grave crime.

They murdered users for a MOD.

People are corruptible, and for fame, money, even gaining small attention, they would kill for it.

Is that how this game had turned people to?

As Siva’s thoughts began to drift away, he suddenly remembered where his body was located. He casually put a stop to his swirling thoughts and focused on the situation and the conversation at hand.

Though Siva was being tempted to agree to their request, he just have to ask, “What’s your personal goals as players? Individually.”

The look of surprise was seen in their faces but since it was a question befitting the situation and the given circumstances they knew of Siva, Matt’s avatar was the first to nod after a sigh.

“Actually, I play the game just to sight see.”

Then followed by Anna, The Hawkeye, who held her bow, “I just wanted to hunt monsters just like the ones in the movies and practice archery.”

“I‘m just here to take care of them and also train myself for being a nurse.” Elsie’s avatar, Agatha, spoke.

“I just want to invent things.” Said Rio, The Witch, who had a floating bag beside the table.

“What about you, Siva, does selling treasures and MODs all you actually want in the game?”

At Volt’s question, Siva couldn’t help but chuckle.

I can’t believe I had to answer that.

“Yes and No.” He said. “Yes I want to sell them off whenever I could find them and no, that‘s not all I want from this game. If I had to put it into words, this place is also my outlet.”

“I thought so.” Replied Volt. “Then what about this, do you want to come with us while actually doing what you‘ve always been doing. And also with our rules, you won‘t have to worry about anyone getting your stash.”

“Actually, like what I‘ve told you guys before, what I‘m worried about isn‘t about that but rather, because of my ability. Because whether you like it or not, if I go with you guys, somewhere in the future, you will hate me and my ability for bringing in trouble.”

“So what was that ability?” On Agatha’s question, Siva was left to look away towards the window.

“It‘s hard to tell.” He could only tell her. “But it can be quite painful, to the point that you will have to quit being with me and wish to go our separate ways.”

But Volt urged, “Go on.” and even Samara and the ranger Hawkeye was putting on faces that they were all looking forward to hearing it.

“…and I‘m also quite low ranked.”

“We don‘t mind.” Said Volt and at that, Siva was now pushed in a corner from his own excuses.

“Why do I have to join you again?”

“Does it matter? It‘s because we‘re friends, right? And as far as I know, friends always travel with each other and have fun together and especially, they always have adventures together.”

And he was actually pointing at some drawn horizon inside the restaurant and dragging Siva’s head to that imaginary situation to some imaginary place.

But Siva removed the hand and brushed away the clouds of imagination.

“I‘m sorry guys, but my decision is clear…”

And before he could even finish his words in an awkward end, Hawkeye had already interrupted.

“Are you perhaps afraid to be hated or are you afraid to lose relationships?”

In the midst of his standing up, behind the mask of conceit, fakery, deception, and the literal sense of the word, Siva’s heart swayed. It was said that truth will always set anyone free, and though he was prepared to leave them here, after hearing those words, and Elsie’s hand pulling his shirt, that Priestess from the Apollo Race had a shine in her eyes that told him “Don’t go.”

“You know, whatever your ability are, what we‘re after wasn‘t any kind of material thing. We just wanted you to trust us. We just wanted to be friends with you.”

Agatha’s hand reaching in from the other side of the table let go of his shirt. Siva, who was ready to let it all go slowly sat down on the table and reached in for his head. He undid the clip that let go of his mask’s grip on his skull and Siva’s white face finally revealed itself.

Seeing him, all his four visitors were dumbstruck.

Siva was from the Apollo Race so essentially he was expected to be a handsome guy. The special traits of the Apollo Race was that it was a race focused on physical appearance rather than fighting prowess.

The stat Charm at which the Apollo boasts with an additional bonus in the beginning of the game, may not have much effect on people but it does have an effect if it was raised and tended to in a certain level. Apollo uses the CHR stat to brighten up the complexion of the avatar, making the person appear 30% more appealing in the naked eyes. It has an effect on the mood of the people around that character and it does tremendous effect on NPCs especially of the opposite sex.

But him, Siva, his Apollo character was a picture of battle. He had a large scar on his left cheek, a scar that went from left upper lip to the bottom, and three slanted scars on his right forehead.

Though it may have looked like a gruesome sight, for some reason, the girls and even the eavesdropping patrons of the restaurant were all frozen on the sight of their table. Yes, the Apollo Race was a handsome race, but this man was an exaggeration of that word. He had this pained expression in him that automatically turns into a sight, more beautiful than any sunset or sunrise anyone had ever seen.

Siva was looking down, his hair was fluttering in the gentle breeze of the city streets. His shoulders made a movement that indicated he let out a long held breath and moved up and down until it settled.

While the streets of Aarun boasted on the lively atmosphere it had as a frontier city with lots of Newbies and traveling businessmen walking to and fro, Siva’s long black hair fluttered with elegance that any person who saw it would have frozen in place thinking he was some nobleman from some anime who came to life. And yet, that beautiful face had a sad expression.

It broke the NPC waitress’s heart that she ran toward the back room. The eavesdropping female players were suddenly struck down with conscience that they cried and went towards the comfort room.

Everything in his 30m radius suddenly became a place of religious worship that all those who had a weak heart either collapsed or averted their gazes in extreme nostalgia. And while all these things happening in just mere seconds after he removed his mask, the three girls in his table did not escape the CHR effect.

“I…I‘m sorry…” Hawkeye’s words trembled as she deliberately spoken the words with utter shyness.

Then Agatha who was directly opposite him, sobbed and wiped the forming tears in her eyes, “So the reason you were not willing to travel with us is because you’re afraid that your ability would make you hated.”

Siva kept being silent.

“But that‘s not the real case here, right?”

Siva glanced at Samara and fell into silence. Then Volt put his elbow on Siva’s shoulders and said, “You are really a handful. I told you countless times, right? We don‘t care what your goal is, we play this game for fun. Alright, what about this, we get to hunt one time, and then we leave you alone to decide.”

“Is it really alright for you guys?”

Volt tapped his shoulder. “Of course.” And Samara sighed with a smile in the end.

“But in exchange for you declining our invitation to party, we will have to accompany you on your search for that treasure.”

Siva let go of a short cough.

Hawkeye leaned over and punched his arm. “We‘re actually vacant since we just came from an adventure in the dessert on the northern lands. We have plenty of time to spare for you.”

“But what about your other contractors?” Siva tried to shake them off.

“All cleared.” Agatha answered. “And in addition to you declining us to party, ehem, you will have to add us up on your friends list.”

SIGH. “I really have no escape on you guys huh.”

“Friends are like pimples, it‘s irritatingly there.” Said Volt and Anna and the rest laughed off, making their table alive.

Siva let go another sigh before he opened his prompt window and sent out friend invitations. And when he was about to close the holographic panel after all of the invitations have been confirmed, he glanced at the item on his inventory list.

(-) ITEMS

(-) MATERIALS

(-) MISC. ITEMS

(-) EQUIPMENTS

(-) FILES

At the side of his vision, he saw the last item on his inventory window and paused for a moment. And when his finger moved again, a list materialized on the four visitor’s window.

“Hmm? Isn‘t this the list that Anna solved earlier?”

On Agatha’s remark, Siva nodded and his expression was in deep thought. “I just realized this earlier while waiting for you, isn‘t this a message directly from the author himself?”

“Christofer Eclaire.” Samara murmured. “Have you gone up to search for the key words?”

“Yes. But there is no such thing as ‘The Providence’ in any of the databases in the library. I even randomized the word but still got zero results.”

“What about another book‘s title?” Asked Agatha.

“Done.” Siva shook his head. “I also tried specific word search and random acronyms, nothing worked.”

“Then,” Volts rubbed his chin as he looked around the restaurant. “I could only think of the same thing as you. What are you planning?”

“One last thing but I needed your guys’ help.”

Hawkeye smiled warmly on his words and she didn’t hide the fact that she was pleased.

“So you do need us after all.”

“Just this once.” Siva blushingly corrected. “It is because I really need to solve this problem before next month. I have a…deal to catch up to.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Samara clapped her hands.

“Alright, it‘s decided.” Agatha cheered.

“So where are we going?” Volts smilingly asked.

Siva pointed on a direction that headed straight to the library’s direction. Seeing this, the four people who was familiar with the city all looked bewildered. But it was Hawkeye who first reacted when she saw the place Siva was pointing at.

“That‘s the Registry Building.”

“Precisely.”

“That’s a Political Establishment for keeping notes of Territories and City Population. What‘s that got to do with this?”

On Samara’s question, Siva glanced over at the name of the author listed at the top left of the list he had been keeping afloat in the table. And then he explained with utter surety:

“If this really is a message from the author himself, then surely, he left clues on how to hunt for this long lost treasure.”

“And that is in the Registry Building?”

“Yes.” His short reply on Agatha’s inquiry. “Because if I am the author and I hid some sort of clue on my book, the last person I would entrust that secret to is to my beloved wife.”

“Ah!” Volt exclaimed and stood up from the seat.

“Easy right?”

“Genius! Let‘s go!” Volt darted off the restaurant and Agatha, Hawkeye, and Samara except for Siva had the look of bafflement in their faces as they followed.

“Wait!”

“Volt, wait up!”

“You‘re so slow Anna, and you too Witch!”

“Volt…wait…”

“No time to waste! We‘re running out of time!”

“Where are we going? Why are we rushing?”

On Hawkeye’s huffed voice, Siva walked on the same pace as Volt. But then he leaned back and smiled at her. He, too, was unable to hide his excitement.

“We‘re going to search for Christofer Eclaire‘s last descendants…”