Chapter 25

Friends

Kathleen Brew was waiting at the Central Square of the now famous Xargoal-6, the mining city just beneath the Taal Mountain Range. Just a few weeks ago, this city who was roamed over by Traders and Blueprint Brokers (people who sells BP of famous Inventions) is now a central tourist spot for weapon hunters and BP collectors.

The once underground market for intermediate users were now kept alive over the radar as the loots from the past war were sold directly here.

Loot System.

Once a player defeats another player in a legal way that is recognized by the system (example: duels, war, castle siege, criminal hunting missions/quests, etc.), the items won over from the defeated player is called Loot and they can either sell them or melt them on the NPC shops to get useable parts and materials.

Terroa boasts of its uniqueness when it comes to player styles. Once an item that was once used by the defeated player lands on the hands of another player, that item (or equipment for that matter) cannot be used by the looter. Not unless it was given to him/her with permission from the original user.

But since it was a loot from a legal endeavor that’s recognized by the system, the most legal way they can use the loot is to sell them. The City Guards won’t even bat an eye on them since it was also Xargoal-6’s own attractiveness. Maybe, all around Terroa, the Xargoal mining cities are the only places where illegal and legal trades of weapons and BP are taking place in broad sight.

No one else except the owner of the equipment can use it. It means style, fashion, and exclusivity amongst players are preserved with the system as the balance of blueprint acquisition lies with the Blueprint Database and the price tag that comes along with a BP.

If the user who invents (or design) an equipment using another user’s blueprint design without paying the due cost for accessing the database, then that user will be tagged by the system as a thief and his information and location will be sent to the original designer.

It is then up to the original designer if he/she will hunt down this player or apply for a criminal hunting mission/quest for his arrest.

These are free services by NPC Shops, and the price for the hunting down these thieves are sponsored by the system. Still, it doesn’t stop people from committing such crimes since there are plenty of escapes routes in this system. One example is the fact that even if the original inventor applies for the arrest or death of the thief, if the criminal is a strong player, then not unless the criminal hunter (Black List Hunters) are confident on their strength, then justice will be served.

And in terms for the legally acquired loots, there is a system of 10th hand usage on these looted equipments.

Even if the looted item can’t be used by the looter, if he/she “sell” or “give” the item to another person and that person gives it to another —leading to the 10th hand, that tenth person will then be entitled the rights of usage of the said equipment, lifting the usage ban.

So with all these people from the war one week ago, selling their loots, Kathleen Brew smiled as all these people obviously know of the 10th hand system and using it to its fullest.

Maybe, there are even those who got a friend and handed the item to themselves until they reached the 10th sharing.

After all, a hand is still a hand, even if that was the former looter who just exchanged the item with a single friend. This is also one of the holes in this system and those who are aware of it are those obviously members of the Masked Organization who only attacked strong players during the war.

They used that chance to acquire strong items by ganging up against a single player. Since most strong players tend to be loners, because of pride, the Masked Men exploited this fact and so succeeded.

And as she looked around the central plaza area of the Mining City of Xargoal-6, she thought that some of these people may have been members of the said group.

But now that she thinks about it, there was one thing that she regretted all these time.

During the war, there was a highlight about one part of the war that regards The Destroyer. She did not include that on her report but she might have stumbled upon a story of a lifetime. A story that might get her to be the administrative supervisor in the news division.

The girl she saved that day, she heard a story from her that made her heart pinned with tears and warmth.

In this modern times, she never knew that there was this kind of story between two people, it felt like she was listening to a novelist when that girl, FlowerLord, begged for her to bring her back on that burning area.

But she couldn’t risk it.

They both saw how monstrously violent that so called The Destroyer is. Given that the Masked Men are targeting strong players for strong items that can then be converted into money, to actually defeat countless of them single handedly, it was as if the story Kathleen heard from FlowerLord was a myth. Still, no one could doubt a girl when she sheds tears while telling a story of a dear friend. And it also made her romantic adventurer heart beat with passion to see this story until the end.

Thus, she was standing here in the Xargoal-6 central plaza, waiting for the said “person” who will give her the satisfaction as a woman who was also looking for that same love.

It’s been a few minutes now since she had logged in and their appointed time of meeting is drawing in. She was beautiful as she was from the real world until the game world. Kathleen Brew could only hide her face under a cloak as she waited there for her guests to arrive.

Since she was a famous news anchor, there aren’t a person in Terroa who can’t recognize her. Thus, she had to hide her face.

Today and until the next six days, since she had her successful exclusive coverage of the War of the Two Powers, she was given two days break from work so she decided that she will use these six days to search for that eternal love.

While looking at the now busy central square, with all these masked people, wearing the same fashion clothes as The Destroyer in her live video, and the merchants and brokers, a commotion from the western gate caught her ears.

‘Is that him?’

‘Yes it’s him! It’s really him!’

‘The volume hunter had appeared in Xargoal-6!’

‘Dude, he’s not a volume hunter anymore!’

‘Oh yeah, Dragon Hunter! He’s a Dragon Hunter!’

‘That’s not even correct!’

‘Oh, right! He’s a Dragon Trapper!’

Kathleen’s eyes widened with surprise as she heard that one line. She also had seen that video before, that one with the sight of large black moving shadow in Hagonoy and also the picture of the masked man trading the large portable cargo with the dragon inside in the Trade Shop.

She tried to make her way towards the West Gate and then saw two large freight containers and a man in cloak with the same mask as The Destroyer Fanatics.

And right that instant, she heard two loud monster roars that made her chest alert.

“Is that another dragon?”

She couldn’t help but let go of that excited remark as she pinned herself through the crowd of the excited onlookers. And when she had made it through the front, she saw one of the opened containers.

Green skin with blue stripes that made it looked like an inverted colored tiger with lizard scales, a pair of snake eyes and powerful looking limbs with a few loose skins for the impression of its wings. Its square shaped jaw is full of sharp teeth with two pairs on both floors, extra large, for the frightening effect. There was no doubt about it, this is a Lapis Lazuli, said only to be seen from high places like mountains and floating islands. Vicious and very violent, also said to have the ability to control wind element with just its skin.

“And two of them?!” She gasped when she saw what the other container had when the trader opened it.

Flashes of cameras were echoing all round her as the excited fans shouted and screamed for the Volume Hunter to wave a hand at them. But he never batted an eye, not even a glance, nor just any sign that he was minding them.

The Volume Hunter, whose legend started in the Walled City of Aarun from a low ranked hunter’s video of a man fighting off countless monsters in the forest, the way he fought was desperate, without any sort of holding back nor minding the virtual pain of receiving those monster attacks. He trashed at them with his fist and his way of using the sword could only be said to be really painful.

It was even a trend in the net that Swordsmen who had seen the video treated him like a mentor, showing them how to use the sword more effectively than just brandishing them like a lunatic, afraid to get hurt.

Point out the monster’s weaknesses, then make them vulnerable, and finally finish them off classically.

The way the Volume Hunter had displayed his sense of fighting resembled that of The Destroyer during the war, well, maybe, except on the fact that The Destroyer is with the current leaders of the Titans and the Sylphs.

Since the war had ended, those three have been really cheeky about their alliance. And they were serious about hiding The Destroyer’s identity.

Especially now that one of the ships from The Union of the Six Federations had announced their support on the hunt for this Rogue. But the most challenging part on this is that person’s whereabouts itself. No one else had ever heard of the name Rogue.

And it was not until the War of the Two Powers that this name was heard.

His appearance have been detailed and his face have been describe. The only thing missing left was to where to hunt this man down. It wasn’t even clear if he was a user or a quest NPC from a failed user’s quest. And basing on what he did with the Mooran Fortress, it was easy to guess that if this Rogue is a result of a failed quest, then that quest might even be S-ranked or higher.

Basing on that difficulty alone, it was a shaking thought if he was an NPC from an H-class quest.

History Class Quests.

Quests that might affect the future of the game.

If it had failed, then the thought of this world ending by his hands was gruesome enough. Users won’t let that happen, and thus the reason why the TGG-Sylph alliance announced it boldly in the PRESS. They need all help they could get to hunt this man down.

So that concludes, this man and The Destroyer are two different people.

Even if they’re both using the same very unique and very rare style of fighting, the fact that they are both at different places at the same time was the proof that she needed to deduce they are two different people.

And as she watched how their trades ended with a shake hand, she saw a voluptuous woman who might seem to be a few years younger than her approach the Volume Hunter. She whispered something to him and he acted as if he was in shock, tried to get away from her, but was snatched in his back collar and dragged to the Business District of the City on a rented magnetic car.

It was a funny sight as everyone was laughing while watching the two. And while she was following where the car was headed, another commotion entered her ears.

This time, the commotion happened to be coming from just men and a few women.

It was coming from the gate’s direction.

As a news anchor as she was, her reporter instincts kicked in as she rushed towards the direction of the gossips. And when she arrived, she saw the familiar face of the girl she had been waiting for.

“FlowerLord!” She called and the men who heard her call gave way for her.

“Kathleen!” The girl waved back. “Are we late? I’m really sorry. Because I had to pick this girl up.”

“Is she…”

“Yep.” FlowerLord smiled and presented the girl who was hiding behind her. “She’s a bit shy since this is her first time coming out of her hole.”

“Hole?” The girl retorted. “Am I some rabbit to you that you have to address me like that?”

“Hahaha…she’s just a bit shy. This is actually her first meeting with other people over these past few months.” Then she started to introduce Kathleen to the girl. “This is Miss Kathleen Brew.” Then she leaned closer to whisper, “She did not give a second thought on changing her name in real life and in game…”

“Is…Is that really a bad thing?” The girl fidgeted with her index fingers and all the men around her got a loud roar seeing her adorable expression.

Even Kathleen Brew, a pure woman that she was, blushed at the sight of the girl fidgeting like the sort of a protagonist, directly from a fantasy world only seen on video games and anime series.

She had this silver strike on her bangs —the physical trademark of the Maven Race, and the way she wore a headband, clean and neat, had an impact that can make even a girl’s heart beat with admiration. And right that instant, her reflexes moved. A sweet girl as she was, Kathleen Brew couldn’t help but see a beautiful girl in her late teens trying to hide away her cuteness from the world around her. A feeling of wanting to protect the girl at all cost had rooted in her heart and she hugged the surprised girl without second thought.

“You’re so cute! Cute! Cute!”

Kathleen’s hood was taken off form her act and the men around them all shouted while calling her name.

The girl who was still lost in the situation, could only try to let out a moan as she was pressed with a hug as tight as that of a mother. Or more like, if FlowerLord would put it all in words, she just found herself a big sister with a little sister complex.

“Hey…that’s enough1 There are people here.” Said FlowerLord who tried to console the girl.

“Oh right. Sorry. Its just that I couldn’t help but to be very excited when I see cute things.” Then Kathleen extended a hand. “Let’s start this over with. My name is Kathleen Brew. As you may have already know, I am the news anchor in Terroa Day Today. Nice to meet you Amanda.”

“Ah!” The girl shook Kathleen’s hand “You know my name?” and had this troubled blushing expression on her friend, FlowerLord.

“Don’t worry.” Kathleen winked at her and hugged her again. “I will help you find your true love.”

And at the word, Amanda blushed that made all men and women around them blush as well.

“Y-You don’t have to put it that way…”

“So,” FlowerLord interrupted and pulled them to the rentable magnetic e-car on the side road. “Where is he right now?”

At the question, as the three of them boarded the magnetic e-car that floated without a wheel, Kathleen looked at the direction of the tallest building in their vision. The two friends followed and Amanda’s eyes was filled with hope that Kathleen could only see as the spark of excitement and nervousness.

“He’s surrounded by guards now. He just became a celebrity. But with me here, there is nothing you have to worry about.”

And at that, she smiled as the sound of the silent engine had covered the busy sounds of the busy streets of Xargoal-6.