[Thank you for waiting!]
The receptionist walks over to us with a tray of our passports shown to us. Looking closely at them, the green gems have now been replaced by yellow circular gems on the bronze coin. Other than that, nothing seems to have changed about passports.
[As of today, three of you are now [Topaz Adventurers]!] The receptionist celebrates in glee. [With this, you are now allowed to take D-Rank jobs as well as special [Quests] ranked two to three stars. You can expect jobs that involve mandatory dungeon-crawling and hunting [Quests] outside of the urgent ones. Please keep in mind your safety while adventuring. You might not be novices anymore, but adventuring through unknown dungeons and places is still dangerous. Remember that your health comes first before undertaking these tasks.]
I guess that's the game's way of saying "Don't be an idiot". It's not like we’ve made any reckless decisions. Well, there was the [Link Ants], but we’ve already learned our lesson from that!
"We will, Miss Aya!" Kazu says as he takes his newly-ranked-up passport. "Thank you for all of your hard work!"
Yur1 and I nod at the receptionists while we take ours from the tray.
[You're welcome! Now then...] The receptionist named Aya directs us to the [Quest Board] next to the promotion counters. [Do you happen to be interested in the [Quests] posted on the board?]
"We wanted to. But we got places to be after here," I answer. "We just arrived in
[I understand. There are a few available inns for you to stay in
With that, Aya leaves us as we begin our private meeting between us.
"Good call, Wind. Although I might take a [Quest] from the board for myself. I still need to find that cave for my [Familiar] hunt," Yur1 says. "What about you two?"
"We have somewhere to be first," Kazu points out. "We can't say much, but we need to take care of some [Hidden Quests] we got from
If I recall from our previous adventures, there are the samples we got from Bai Hu and the promise to meet a certain magician we saved a while ago.
"Makes sense. Guess we should part once we find an inn to stay in," Yur1 guesses.
"We might head there right after, but..." I look around the guild hall. "Where the heck are those two stooges? I haven't seen them since we arrived in
Kazu then turns his head from left to right. "Yeah. The last time we saw them they got onto another cart before us. Could they be lost in the forest nearby?"
SLAP!
I flinch the moment I hear that slap. Why do I have a feeling that might answer Kazu's question?
"Geez... You seriously need to learn more about privacy and space, Arthur."
As I predicted, I see Razul and a certain knight rubbing on his red, throbbing cheek. Behind him is another receptionist NPC, who simply walks away in a huff.
"At least we know about the new feature added to the game," Arthur mutters. "Besides, I'm this close to getting a dating sim-style [Hidden Quest]."
Razul sighs. "Like there's such a thing as a dating sim [Quest]."
And that's all I want to know about his latest antic. I approach them and cross my arms with a frown. "I hope you did something more than flirting with another NPC."
Both of them finally notice me as Kazu and Yur1 join in. Normally, they would end up in another argument. But since there are many players in the guild hall and I'm already here, at least they’ve made another truce as I watch them take a deep breath.
"Oh, hey guys! I can see you already took care of the promotion tests." Arthur flashes his passport to us, revealing the same yellow gem next to his picture and info. "Ta-da! I'm now at [Topaz]! Which means I'm one step closer to knighthood! Impressive, huh?"
"Not really." Razul also flashes his passport, revealing the same changes we have. "Most of the players here are promoted to [Topaz] and not all of us are overpowered players like in those novels and comics. So it's not exactly brag-worthy."
"I agree. If a normal player would have become [Alexandrite] or [Sapphire Rank], that's a balancing issue on the devs," Yur1 reasons. "Either that or a player might find an exploit on the [Quest] system."
Well, he's not wrong. I wouldn’t be surprised if a player got promoted higher than [Topaz]. But realistically, you have to be a masochist or a fictional returner to reach that achievement. And I can't lie. It's becoming a cliché when it comes to VRMMO games and fiction like this one.
"Yeah, yeah. For once, can't you guys learn about "suspension of belief"? You're really cramping my style," Arthur complains.
"We're not ruining anyone's "style". We're just making sure you not only know the reality that VRMMO can't help us escape but also make sure you won't go to la-la land without knowing the consequences not only in the game. Besides, isn't the point of the game to have fun?"
Arthur sighs. "Yeah, no complaints on that last part. Oh well, I should work on my moves on someone else outside [Isekai] then."
At least he’s learned his lesson. I hope...
"Since we're done here, how should we prepare for our meeting at the castle soon?" Razul suggests. "We already visited the entrance and scheduled an appointment for all of us to go."
"Castle?" Yur1 raises his eyebrow.
"It's a long story, but Wind and his friend got themselves in a [Quest] during my exams and we also took a hidden one that involves us visiting it," Kazu explains. "I wish I could say more, but..."
"Right... I get it. It wouldn't be hidden until the right time, right? I did say I'm heading out for my [Familiar] summoning. So I'm gonna hang around here a bit longer to see if they have any [Quests] on the board to multitask," Yur1 said. "I shouldn't keep you guys here any longer. If you need anything, just holler at me on whisper chat. Good luck on your adventures, guys."
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Same to you, Yur1."
Just like that, Yur1 left our party and split off from there. That leaves me, Kazu, Arthur, and Razul in the crowded guild hall for a while as I turn to the knight-in-training.
"So what about the appointment you reserved at the castle?" I ask.
"It's what Razul said. We told them what happened back at the
"The scheduled appointment is about 3 PM this afternoon," Razul adds. "We only have about 4 hours of free time until then."
PING!
> [NEW QUEST NOTICE]
>
> [You have received a new [Party Quest] from your new partymates, [An Audience with a Royal Magician] *.]
So an appointment with an NPC is considered as a [Quest], huh? Obviously, Kazu and I had to get it the moment we joined them at the party.
> [Quest: An Audience with a Royal Magician *]
>
> [You have booked an appointment with one of
>
> [Appointed Time: 3 PM (4 hours)]
"In that case, we should find an inn for the time being and use our free time to explore the nearby streets," I suggest. "
"I'm guessing that's your excuse to find a good place to set up your vending machines and stands, right?" Arthur asks. "We checked the city's
"We will. After everything we bought for the journey, we really need to replenish our money for the future builds ahead."
If I recall from Kazu's forum search, he said that the general stores in this city will have upgraded versions of our crafting tools. Plus, we might have a chance to find someone who might sell some rare materials for our future builds. I doubt I can do the latter since they might sell at a high price. But with our [Crafting Masteries] already at double digits, we've outgrown our current toolset.
"In that case, let's find a place to stay and get going. When the appointed time comes, let's rendezvous to the
"Roger!" Kazu playfully salutes like a soldier to Razul before turning to me. "Come on, Wind! Let's find our inn already!"
I chuckled as I followed my little brother to find somewhere to stay for a few weeks. New city, new places to be...
I may be free from being Kazu's [Guardian Player]. Yet part of me doesn't want me to part with him immediately. I should prepare for the day once I move out of the house for college, but I can't help but feel excited when playing with Kazu. It's not my overprotective side talking this time. Rather, it's the same feeling when I'm playing a campaign with him.
I guess his adventuring spirit finally rubbed off on me.
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[Meanwhile in the real world...]
"...and that's the current report for this week's activity."
Evan White hummed as he stared at the stack of papers in his hand while Miles Spears looked at his tablet.
"As expected. There are a lot of new players joining thanks to the new expansion. Along with sponsorships, partnered internet personalities, ads, and real-life marketing, more people are registering to play [Isekai]. It almost broke the official site by the sudden heavy traffic as well with the official wiki and forums." Miles smiled as he gently put down his tablet. "I'm also guessing the [Veilcons] and the interest of the next console skyrocketed in a matter of days, Who knows how many once the preorders on the latter are open next month?"
Evan sighed. "Well, it doesn't mean we launched the expansion without any setbacks. I'm just relieved they haven't sued us for that incident."
"Yeah. But if it wasn't for those players who stopped it along with reporting the cause, it would be another story." Miles also sighed. "Regardless, we should take their advice and ensure it won't happen again. As for the main topic in hand..."
Both men turned around and saw a certain brown-haired man burying his face on the table.
"I'm surprised your boys managed to find out your involvement in the [Sign Creation Ceremony] management, Palmer. Didn't expect you to get scolded by your wife in the aftermath, though."
Adam groaned in frustration as he heard his friends chuckle. "It's already been days, you guys. You already put me out of my misery with that studio tour I promised to Hayate and Kazuki. I'm just lucky I got off easy afterward."
"To be fair, your youngest did complain how that [Hidden Quest] almost traumatized Hayate," Evan reminded. "But as you said, he's not the type to be bogged down by burdens in his life. You have faults, but it doesn't mean you're a bad parent."
Adam froze at his comment. It took him a few seconds to regain his composure to reply. "I don't know about that. I'm a programmer first and a father second. Whenever I'm too busy to be the latter, Hayate and Tsukino are the ones who take care of Kazuki."
Miles quickly smacked Adam on the back. "Stop blaming yourself, Adam. I get that your job is important. But don't undersell yourself as a family man because of that. Not everyone is perfect and I know you didn't waste your vacation hours to work your ass off on a current project in your company. Your sons will understand what you've been through and I know they don't see you as any other neglectful father obsessed with promotions and bootlicking bosses. Heck, you hate those traits in most companies that were in scandals."
Adam sighed for a while and smiled. "Yeah... I get what you're saying. Despite everything, they still care for me. As their father, I should be the one to help them put them on the right path. But at the same time, I have a lot to learn to be more than the patriarch of the family. I should give them a small one-shot campaign once work is done."
"Hope we can get our well-deserved vacations soon. Because the moment the tournament starts, things will be busy on our end."
"Heh... I wish you luck on that, you two." Adam then stood up and took Mile's tablet to check its contents. "Speaking of which, I recall you guys added a hidden storyline that Enigma wrote a month ago. I don't want the full details, but it has something to do with those plagues in those [Mana Landmarks], right?"
"Yeah. So far, your sons managed to uncover several clues from Bai Hu's [Hidden Quests] along with meeting with the Royal Magician. However, they need to work harder if they need to unlock it," Evan explained.
"Which means a lot more mysteries for Hayate and Kazuki to uncover," Adam chuckled. "I wonder how will they fare against the conspiracies behind the bright kingdom..."
----------------------------------------
[At the same time... In the chambers inside the grand castle of
[Miss Oztar? Are you inside?]
A young woman put down her quill pen and turned to the door in front of her. [Yes. You may enter.]
The door opened, revealing a man wearing a robe and a knight standing next to him. [You have received a request from two adventurers for an audience with you, Mistress.]
[Who is it from?] The woman asked.
[A knight named
The woman smiled at his news. [I see... It's as the great [White Tiger] has told me...] She stands up and smiles at her aides. [As one of the leading [Royal Magicians] of
[Yes, ma'am!]
Both the man in the robe and the knight left her office immediately as the magician herself looked at the window behind her. [
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> [A new development has been created for certain players.]