Kai couldn’t believe it.
The hut, which looked like it could fall with a slight shake of wind, was even bigger than the Inn's ground floor he had left behind. A hall, draped beds, closets full of books, and the blazing hearth. It was like stepping into whole another world.
It was more mystical than anything Kai had ever seen in his previous life.
It was…
Magic… The word bubbled in Kai’s heart, stirring the old, buried strings of a youth he had never experienced.
“Come here.” A commanding tone reached Kai's ears.
He took his eyes off the things and focused on the people. In the middle of the hall, surrounding a big round table, were three people. Desmond’s hood had fallen back, letting others see his short black hairs. A few white patches lingered on his head as a sign of age.
Kai approached the table, searching for an exit, but couldn't find one. The door behind him had shut the moment he had walked into the supposedly small hut.
A dangerous place, Kai concluded.
In the middle, there was man, leaner and younger than Desmond. Clean shaved, he had shoulder-length blue hair, and his head was down, looking at the map.
The third one was a woman, taller than both men.
“He is… uh?” Desmond stuttered.
“Don't tell me you haven't even asked his name?!” the woman asked, shocked.
“It doesn't matter, Sonia.” The same commanding tone came out from the middle.
The blue-haired man struggled to take his eyes off the map, but he won the battle in the end. His eyes were blue, too.
"Let me do the honors, Captain." Desmond stepped out, his face already red from the intense stare of the woman. "You know me, right? She is Sonia, and we both are from the 2nd Floor. Shae, the one glued to the books over there, is another newbie. Then there is Simon, from the 1st Floor. He is in the basement, guarding You-Know-Who."
There is even a basement, Kai thought, feeling more amazed the more he got to know about it.
“You seriously have the gall to make jokes, Desmond,” Sonia rebuked.
“Oh, come on, that would have floored him if he knew what I was talking about.” Desmond felt wronged and shrugged at Sonia.
“You mean…” Sonia gasped.
“A newbie who knows nothing about this world…” the man muttered with a brilliant shine in his eyes. He looked Kai up and down, and smiled. “I am Arlen Willey, Captain of Guard of the Thunder Faction.”
Kai matched Arlen’s gaze. “Red.”
Shae approached them from the other corner. Her hands were wrapped around a thick book, her hair was blond, and hidden behind her glasses were ebony-colored pupils.
Kai noticed how Arlen kept looking at Shae as she came. His pupils narrowed. A weakness.
These were all killers, according to the rules of the Primordial Tower. Kai felt he had to up his game if he wanted them to dance on his fingers.
“Go on then, hand over the letter,” Arlen demanded, looking away from Shae reluctantly.
The casual atmosphere suddenly turned sharp. Even Desmond's cheery attitude vanished at the mention of the letter. Sonia walked away from the table, and Kai found her stopping on his right. Shae was already on his left, backed up by Desmond.
I am surrounded, Kai observed.
With a flick of his wrist, Kai thew the Proof Letter toward Arlen, who caught it midair.
Under the heavy silence, Arlen went through the letter, his blue eyes shifting left and right. Suddenly, his calm expression stirred, his face distorting in absolute rage.
“Apprehend him!” The Captain of Guard ordered menacingly.
What… Kai raised his eyebrows, every inch of his muscles entering the battle mode. Before he could get an explanation, Sonia was upon him.
Kai had seen she was tall, but when her kick came, aimed at his head, she felt even taller. He ducked, moving to his left. The kick missed but followed his head. It had come fast, and now it was faster.
The hair on Kai's neck stood up, knowing the damage this kick would do if it were to land.
He didn't know what to do.
But his body did, the muscle memories kicking in at last.
Kai’s toes applied a burst of force at their tip, and his legs slid like tracing the track of a snake, slithering and undulating as if they were on the sand.
The kick landed on the floor with a bang, but Kai had dodged it, shifting to his left again in one smooth motion.
Sonia was shocked. No way he just dodged all that! She was a 2nd Floor’s Contestant, where Red was nothing but a newbie.
Shae stepped back, keeping herself away from the fight. Desmond frowned, thinking the same.
However, Arlen’s eyes lit up, picking up the not-so-obvious detail.
“Humph!” Sonia snorted. She spun, kicking the floor, and sent kicks after kicks at Kai. Head, legs, hands, and stomach, her slim and large legs covered all. Her loose long pants couldn't hinder her movements at all. It was just… she couldn't touch Kai.
By the width of a hair, Kai dodged her kicks, sliding his legs on the floor in a slithering motion. He wasn't even controlling them as this sliding motion was encoded in his muscles and bones.
“Grit your teeth, kid,” Desmond suggested.
Suddenly, a heavy, nauseating feeling overtook Kai, almost making him vomit if he hadn't gulped it down back. He looked at Desmond and noticed the light golden hue churning in his brown eyes.
What's this?! Kai was struggling to bury that deep nausea inside him, but Sonia didn't wait to follow up on Desmond's assistance. She sent a roundhouse kick at Kai's chest, too fast to dodge.
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Shockingly, Kai didn't even try to move out of the way. He had been waiting for it all along.
Sonia’s kick landed right where he wanted.
A trace of blood trickled from Kai's mouth as he was sent flying backward.
“Sonia! This was not…” Desmond roared, but couldn’t finish his sentence.
What happened next left them all flabbergasted.
Kai rolled on the floor, and just as he approached Shae, he jumped to his feet with unbelievable nimbleness.
Shae was still petrified from the events when Kai lunged at her, climbed on her back, and wrapped his legs around her waist. Simultaneously, his hand went to his back and pulled out a knife hidden above his hips under the short coat.
It looked like this wasn't the first time he was doing something like that.
The sequence of motion was too smooth.
“Ahh!” Shae cried, finding the knife’s edge at her throat.
Kai felt the slight tremors in his body as Shae trembled, but it didn't prevent him from tearing the skin over her throat to give the knife a touch of blood.
Ignoring Desmond and Sonia, Kai eyed Arlen and… the wooden stick in his hand. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He had already lost 20 HP, but the threat buzzing off from the wooden stick surpassed all nauseating feelings.
“Let her go,” Arlen said slowly, the wooden stick in his hand trembling.
“Huh!” Kai snickered. “You guys attacked me for no reason, and now you think I would just let her go?”
“Arlen… Captain, the kid’s right.” Desmond stepped forward, eying Kai strangely. “Sorry for testing you like this, Red,” he told Kai, sharing a glance with Sonia. “Every small step and decision in this world can cause death… and bring doom upon all members. We couldn’t just let anyone be a part of the Team. We just wanted to make sure you can handle yourself or not. But… things got out of hands…”
“Something’s wrong,” Sonia chimed in. “Hey! Do you… have an Elementary Ability?”
“Of course, he has!” Arlen barked, sounding angry, surprised, and greedy simultaneously.
Desmond had his doubts, but now he gulped. “Red,” he said, his breath pausing, “wha… what’s your Worth?”
Kai narrowed his eyes even further. He didn’t tell them about having not one but two Abilities. Instead, he saw a chance to know more about this Worth which stood out among his Stats. “Around 10,” he replied vaguely, keeping the value close to his Active Attributes.
However, even with this value, Desmond’s jaw dropped and Sonia’s lips paled.
Arlen’s pupils shook, his grip on the wooden stick loosening. “Damn it!” he tsked. “What a headache! OK, I accept your proof letter. Let her go now.”
As soon as Arlen said the words, a notification appeared in front of Kai.
[
Side Mission: Hand over the Proof Letter to the Captain of Guard
Side Mission Status: Success
Side Mission Rewards: 50 Mission Credits
]
*
*
Kai vomited… for the third time.
So this is a soul attack, effecting my SP, Kai reflected. Desmond had already apologetically told him about it.
The sudden turn of events, and drastic changes in others’ behavior around him, had made Kai see his Worth Attribute in a new light. He'd rather not think about what could have happened if he had uttered a bigger number.
It would have been my doom! What else? Kai answered himself, remembering the greed in Arlen’s eyes.
He vomited again.
“Here, drink this,” Sonia approached him and threw a leather water pouch with a stopper at its mouth. “And now we are even.”
Even? The demon within Kai smirked murderously. There will come a time… when I will let you know there's no such word.
Kai caught the water pouch, and a notification popped up above it.
…
[
Item: Sellsword's Water Pouch
Grade: Common
Specification: Spring water mixed with rare herbs and spices. Capacity - 600 ml
Requirement: HP > 0, SP > 0
Attributes: Not Applicable
Skill: Not Applicable
Effect: HP (+ 5) per 100 ml
Quality: 70%
]
…
This was the first time Kai had held an Item. He could feel a strange aura coming off it as if it didn't belong to him.
Kai threw open the stopper and gulped down two big mouthfuls of the water.
The moment it went down his throat, Kai felt a burning feeling in his stomach. In the next moment, the feeling spread through his entire body like fire.
Kai’s HP restored to its actual value within seconds. Impressive!
“Don't mind her, she's like that,” Desmond said, smiling and nearing Kai and Sonia.
“You two know each other?” Kai had noticed Desmond's familiarity with the tall woman.
Desmond smiled wryly and winked.
Sonia rolled her eyes.
“What’s this all about Worth?” Kai asked, handing over the Water Pouch. He’d rather not remain in dark about his own Stats, especially after seeing Arlen’s reaction. “What’s it got to do with having Abilities?”
Sonia sighed, taking the Item. “I should have realized that was an Elementary Ability the first time you had dodged my kick.”
Desmond licked his lips. “Worth is the trickiest Attribute,” he whispered, forcing the distant Shae to come closer to listen. “Some call it The Tower's Judgment, some System's Wrath.”
Sonia nodded. “Abilities are the hardest to obtain in the Primordial Tower, because they are much more innate to a Contestant,” she added. “If you have a high initial Worth after resurrection, then the chances of you having an Ability from the get go also rises.
“Moreover, the higher the initial Worth, the higher it will rise. There is no proof, but its theorized that Worth also affect a mission’s progression and results. So, having a Contestant with high Worth in your team is a bonus no one would deny.”
Ah! Kai nodded to himself. So that’s why Arlen didn’t act on his anger even when I was climbing his bitch!
“Get this…” Desmond said, smiling, “… me and Sonia are 2nd Floor Contestants, but our Worth is still 1. Arlen over there is a 3rd Floor Contestant, and his Worth cannot be greater than 3. Believe me. Not only that, if you can obtain more than 5 Attribute Points in your Worth within the 1st Set, then you will be called the luckiest Contestant.”
Kai’s pupils trembled. I… must… never… reveal my actual Worth to anyone, he promised himself.
“Move aside,” Arlen said, putting himself between Kai and Shae. He threw a map between them and took out the wooden stick.
Wand… Kai called out the name, noticing the hate hidden behind Arlen’s words. Desmond had already told him about the basics of this Random World and the magical tool used by the wizards and witches here.
Kai saw the map. Two dots were shimmering over it, far from each other. The names of places were fluttering like flags in a storm, and tiny magical beasts were roaring, flying, and jumping, signaling their presence here and there.
“We have come here two days before you newbies,” Arlen said. “Now we must take Mr. Beedle from our current location to here.” He pointed a red dot on the map, with the name Dufftown hovering over it, shining menacingly under its hue.
“So we are in London,” Kai said, looking at the blue dot. The distance was too far, and it didn't seem to him they had the means to cover it in 48 hrs. “How are we supposed to go there in such a short time?”
“That's why we were waiting for you and Shae,” Desmond said, standing behind Sonia. “We will need… Broomsticks.”
Kai saw Arlen mumbling something inaudible and suddenly a dull-gray colored notification appeared in front of his eyes.
…
[
Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn
You have triggered a Side Mission
…
Main Mission: Assist Thunder Faction in saving the life of Beedle the Bard
Side Mission: Assist Contestant Desmond in stealing a Broomstick
Side Mission Summary: The distance between London and Dufftown is long and treacherous if covered by ground. The only sure way is to use Broomsticks and travel through the air. You must secure enough broomsticks to escort Mr. Beedle with Thunder Faction's full strength.
Side Mission Objective: Secure at least one Broomstick
Side Mission Time Limit: Not Applicable
…
Do you accept the Side Mission?
]