COI C72
“. . . On the other news, we hear reports the other moon will crossing to this region. Be aware that this moon has different effects similar to Alga. This moon is called Jigeram, a notorious moon that can light up both night and day. Its luminescence is dense and you could see specs of it floating down slowly raining like snow or none of it all. It can null and weakens all mana with a set of proportion of everyone’s mana capacity. If you see light bluish specs raining down, be prepared once it piled up . . .”
It’s the first day of the end of the lockdown, there was a mass exodus of locals leaving the city. Already satisfied by their wealth, but not so sure when unrest continues within the districts. The first report was the sector in Fuku City then it reached to Mihayara district. They can’t blame those locals being scared and even there were reports of fighting between them and the gangs. Many merchants won’t be hanging long after that. The security managed somehow, but not enough with other expenses upheld in the city.
The adventurers had enough experience within the sphere, now they are going back to the dungeons. They visit again where known places being showered by the Jigeram’s light. Once was massive trees overgrown to the entrance of the dungeons are now withered a bit. One of the mages sees radiant of mana being absorbed. Those particles of light are absorbing it and releasing nothing in return.
“Looks like it is cleansing the trees”
“Don’t be fooled, it is good when moderation fitted for us but don’t forget inside the sphere it drastically weakens us”
“Yeah, then Alga comes along balance it out”
As they venture forth, they found monsters they saw during the lockdown. All of them moved inside the caves and holes made from them. The mages cast their magic and scan it.
“My readings tell me that it is just small nests in each route”
“Mine is they have a plethora of them squeezing each other in one nest”
One of the adventurers read his UI “And we are 18% percent exposed”
“Dang it! It means we lost 3% of the higher chance to win in mass droves. Now we can only do it conditionally”
The mage doubted “We are just random grouping up. I don’t think teamwork with no experience against these monsters”
One of the monsters goes out from one of the holes, only its head sprung out. It shakes around and feels something painful once exposed from the light. Then it went back.
“They too are feeling the light. Why not dug them out from their burrows?”
“If you are a mage, you knew these monsters can heal themselves for a time, right?”
“Sorry but this is something we need to get for the reward”
“Our quest wasn’t even registered yet. My guild wants to know how safe for new members to go through the dungeons”
While they were talking, they heard footsteps coming from the dungeon.
“Hey, you said nothing is coming from the dungeon”
“You forget that someone was here before us”
“Yeah that . . . But I can’t sense their mana”
They look at the entrance and they see familiar Enders walk outside. Myrrkei and U’ecin walk out and see adventurers standing around. Another one walks out and it’s their employer.
“Adventurers, you seem idling about”
“Well, uhm . . .”
“We were just scouting and we found nests that are compacted with monsters”
“I see . . . I see from your stats you’re already exposed in 18%”
The adventurers check their UI again with a new recent update. The exposed meter had updated even more dangerous level. It added where also magic items that is based on mana, with exemption of Runes, and they look rather worried.
“25% . . . That will lose the failsafe mechanism”
“That’s right, and luckily 80% exposure is enough to use magic to escape. Exceed that too, and then there would be no way to leave this place”
“Thank you, we should be on our way. Everyone let’s go”
“Right!” They left, as the two Enders watch them leave.
The employer smiled then quickly turned into his fire up expression. Even more so the threats he never would’ve thought of.
“Now Myrrkei, please go back to the research department and find a way to get inside of those dungeons”
“Ah, you see my way. I was hoping you tried your own research what we have found”
“Enough, and you. Please continue clear out those monsters that is not familiar to our list. From what he said is true, then they are probably not the monsters we would expect there”
He walks away as his mana already being crippled.
U’ecin said “These seasons he mentioned that would be similar to our moons”
“In nature, that would be a perspective of it. I’m impressed they have managed this far. When they mastered the full moon cycles, it will be a matter of time they survived the wilderness of this world”
“Sigh* under a year, that would be not enough when order is starting to quake”
“Please my fellow guildmember, it is just my thought. It will become so or not”
“Ironno is working with them for some time now. He is becoming a defender for how long the gods watch him”
“I forgot to mention, a lot of our ‘allies’ going through his safe rooms”
“Good or bad, all of them are allowed to get in”
“Of course, but if one of them being hostile inside of the room. Those scrolls will activate and channel off their mana”
Myrrkei left as he is ordered to go back to the city. Leaving U’ecin piling up corpses of monsters, he grabs a dust of the light throws inside of the holes. Monsters start to scatter inside as he plays around in their misery.
Myrrkei finds the road and follow through it. After closely reached the city’s barrier, he sees once again opened up but this time it starts to sizzle as maintenance are trying to keep hold of the magic needed. He heard one of the workers
“The power plant started to heat up when that moonlight recently came”
“Day and night just like the news said”
“Damn it, is there enough overtime for this to be justified?”
“Or else we don’t have power during this season”
“Sigh*”
They look tired as they sit around, and their eye bags showing through a bit. He wants to know why they are like that but he moves on.
Inside Mihayara District, there’s a woman hiding her gang’s logo. The man who is with him felt uncomfortable and said,
“That gang of yours are really that dangerous”
“Shut up, I have come this far to get inside without those surveillance tracking magic”
“That’s why you should lay low and leave your things behind”
“I need it to defend myself, those physical attributes they have now could take me down any second”
“We are in the café, how will they going to attack here with these many people around?”
The woman is one of the Dark green dot gangs. For once she managed to meet this man in person. Her partner is enough trying to find the best route not to get spotted from the other gangs and their planned activities along the way. Many petty crimes such as theft in second hand devices are humiliating enough, but they need it for some reason. She said to him
“It’s good that you are still willing to listen . . . Pervert”
He softly reacts “Ugh! I have been exposed”
A maid pops up next to him and gives him a supporting cast.
“Oh no, what will you going to do master?”
“She exposed my name”
“Don’t worry master, she is just jealous because . . . (blushing) you have me”
“Oh my . . .”
She heard enough, the man she is talking to is the infamous Perb. That maid reacted on whim because of his expenses and tribute toward this café. As he is now the best ‘master’ to support them and even the maid is just a projection of his preferred choice. The Perb looks down as he sees what he is eyeing on. Focus on the maid’s . . . Then get stop as she casts her magic to turn his head to her.
“We are not done talking”
“Don’t worry, it’s a dude”
“You sicko”
“The only sicko you face”
The maid left because of her angry expression leaving the man disappointed. He just grins himself summoning his glasses all tinted and white, glowing in front of her then disappeared.
“I say you are lucky that I have nothing better to do during the summer. Its security is heck when the raids start”
“I am not here to recruit you”
“Alright, then what you have in mind beside message me on social media?”
“You were at the black and white zone”
He disappointedly remembered “And . . .”
“Those who were involved inside that area are being tracked down”
“Really? Then I would be a lucky man not found out”
“It is because you have a new identity”
“That part I won’t say, I have some secrets that you people don’t want to listen”
“About boys?”
“You studied me too well, they won’t even expect me looking at me now”
The perb looks chubby than the previous scenes of him doing the crime. Back in their own world he was fit, but now he is fat that looks satisfied doing so. The woman’s magic item is the one that tracked him down, kept it in her inventory as she is free to use it.
She continues “What am I asking is that there is a special meeting that you will likely believe it”
“I read it, but I am hardworking predator. But I do want to see who are coming back. I hope they are dead or they will want my ass . . . and I am not the one to be on top”
She gets frustrated and begin to leave. She says her goodbyes
“For god sakes, then don’t go after your victims after your scores are settled”
“Let’s hope that would be our last meeting”
“Me too, jackass”
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“Stings”
The man left alone leaving the look at himself being fat. He looks unhealthy after what he did in this city, he mentions
“I guess hiding and eating junk foods put me a lot of weight”
He walks out from the café and gives a nice farewell among the maids. The trap maid comes to him and gives him a gentle hug. The Perb stops his urges as much as he could let his mind distracted to the dangers of the rumors about the defectors are coming back for him. Sweet words come to his ears where only the girls said it with their cheery voice and the trap didn’t say anything.
“Please come again!”
He left leaving a mark of his magic onto the café where he sits. Hearing through the after of the conversation.
As the Perb left, the commotion rises as he hears through the mark left on the café. Jealousy erupts behind the scene as many girls around him.
“Wow! You got yourself a sugar daddy. How much he pays you right now?”
“A lot exactly, I don’t know where he gets his money from but . . . (shows them the cash) probably he is from Fuku City”
“I didn’t even see him give you money openly, where did that pervert slid through the cash”
The other maid slams her hand on the table “I really like that woman acting tough to that pervert, but the pay he provides is too good. Even more so during the summer”
“Or maybe he is a criminal” They laugh as they don’t believe it.
“That fat ass, a criminal, how could he get away with that lot of money. There is no bank, money transfer through the internet isn’t working anymore, and the cash base system is in temporarily under our devices”
The trap maid shouted “AH! He paid me as he about to leave. That man is worse than any of your stalkers and any other perverts combine”
“Huh!? Why is that!?”
He shows them a replay how he did in front of the woman. The scene where he wraps around his waist then secretly slid through his clothes and felt his naked waist.
“That pervert! Can’t you use your magic too to stop it”
“I did but something is not right. I can’t seem to block it, as if he absorbs my powers and I even used it in full force” The maid looks at him in a strange way.
“No, really. I mean everyone has high powered abilities, even a D rank could withstand their advances. I know I am that weak but everyone can’t touch me unless they harm me. I’m not kidding here. I’m telling the truth here” The laughs come after where the Perb stops listening.
“Being a former defector has some perks kid. That’s why we are the source of successful petty crimes. The gangs will soon also learn this skill soon enough. Because they had brought us back in”
The Perb walks through the park as he was busy monologuing and listening secretly from the Café. He stands there letting his face mask hidden his true expression like he always done. Then felt a strange stare, the same action he did to others. Experience of being the stalker, now he felt something is . . . and it was a duck.
The duck toy is surrounded by kids as they playfully trying to catch it, with other spiritual pets come along follow them as their toys. The kids preferred the yellow toy duck because of its weird expression with its wide dotted eyes and big beak. They enjoy the duck more than the playful toy pets they have. The Perb looks closely as it stares right at him. The rumors about spirits looking at people and they discovered they are looking at defectors. They don’t know even it is true but this is making it difficult for them to feel safe. Some examples are right but others are downright impossible.
Luckily, this suspicion wasn’t part of the news and he proceed to go somewhere else. The sight of the duck kept focusing on him as he stares back with his device with his camera. The duck is being thrown and continue where its neck can move to see him longer. It is a persistent little mad lad, as he eventually left as he needs to go elsewhere. Stepping forth to where he needed to go, Fuku City, or what’s left of it. A place with where most high-class citizens reside there.
He wasn’t part of their community, but many defectors are calling out to go there. Hoping not to see the people he had done and the reason he had to go there was his ‘friends’ are asking to come there. Invited to some business they are having and with the picture of the invitation is at hand on his device and the main gate where stops numerous people in line. The Perb eavesdrops through the conversation about the new moon.
“Did you hear from the adventurers or anyone who is out from the city?”
“Yeah, everyone got fucked from that particle shit”
“Many called it dusts, that would be easy way to describe it”
“Alright”
The line is long and the Perb has nothing else to do as he stands, even his device is at hand never would beat the strangers’ dialogues than reading through a wall of comments in social media.
“. . . This place gets us riled up. Why is the line longer than usual?”
“Beats me, I hear there are job interviews or something. I’m just here for my night shift job”
“Night shift?! I thought they stop it thanks to the new security in this district”
“You could say that but I need money for my expenses. The lockdown forced me out doing my quests”
“You were an adventurer?”
“Nah, I just play the part of their adventuring. They request for small projects to build posts near the dungeon spots. Their convenient store from another world, I think”
“Laugh* You have read too much visual novels to let me believe they want that”
“As long as the pay is good, and luckily that same store is still fine. Many adventurers first go there to see what happened”
“And?”
“It is protected, and wouldn’t doubt who lived inside it”
“You know who live in there?”
“Beats me, that was the last thing I heard about it . . . Hey! Move forward the line is moving”
The Perb looks at the other guy who is hauling up the line. He thought it was fishy and thought he was hauling them up. The man moves forward as they almost reach to the entrance. He continues to eavesdrop
“Anyway, what you guys are doing to Fuku City?”
“There is a private office is manufacturing magic products. If I have to say, there shouldn’t be kids here”
“There are no kids this evening, why . . . Oh I get. Better not getting to details for it”
“SHIT!”
The Perb quickly reacted as the others turn around who said that. They eventually stop talking as others notice them.
The Perb regrets it as he is going to listen something interesting, if he had to visit them, then it would be easier he had to go somewhere to pay off the patience he is having in line. A call from the guard
“Next 10 people in line, proceed to get inside the building”
The Perb steps closer as he is about to get inside. The man in front of him hesitated then eventually left as the man with his jacket on, made him look suspicious. Nonetheless, he is not going to be queue up with him and that’s for sure. Five minutes later, he is up next.
“Finally . . .” He whispered.
He walks inside and sees the guards and the other people inside stared at the window. Others behind him shout out at the sky.
“Something falls off from the sky!”
The Perb looks to the man is pointing and sees the barrier breaks raining down dusts. Falling into the intersecting highway from the three districts near Mihayara, Chojima and Fuku City, many watch it fall like thick rain falls where the road is being buried by it. The call of the guard to continue the procedure as the Perb is being pushed inside by the others.
“Move on now, the incidents didn’t reach here. We need to loosen up the line or else it will take all evening”
Once he is in, he goes to the counter and give them his invitation.
“Hello, please state your reason to go inside this district”
“Yeah Hi, I was given an invitation from one of my friends. I was given an instruction to go here because they didn’t label the address”
The receptionist took the invitation and scan it in their computer. The floor lights up beneath the Perb’s feet as he quickly transported without even given a reply except
“Please be ready as you are now transported to your designated location and thanks for using our services”
“Services, I should, . . .” The Perb teleported where he didn’t know where.
Now he is somewhere else and continuing saying his words “. . . Be heading inside. What!? Where am I?”
He looks around and sees he is inside a building with massive glass window seeing the sight of the falling dust from the sky.
“That some huge rainfall leaking through the barrier”
“Yeah, we thought that you are going to be trapped there for sure”
“HEY!”
The Perb’s friends are next to him as they are waiting.
“You made it. We were heading out to see what happened but we need to deal with this first. Come now”
The Perb walks with them inside seeing through a massive building that couldn’t been seen outside of the city. His friends said to him
“I know what you are thinking, and yes it’s magic. I don’t know either that this place exists in Mihayara district”
“I already expect this could happen. Have you ever seen the realms?”
“Well that too, but let’s get going to business”
“Yeah business, I need a little money after selling off some stolen goods”
“Yeah, you brought us nice scraps and other ores you brought from the east coast, where did you get it, anyhow?”
“I won’t going to say to you where I got it but I know little about demands”
One of his friends where not too happy about it.
“Because of that we are still be friends even we found out your . . . hobbies”
“You got yourself played for when you guys found out my profits laugh*”
“That’s not the issue there, but your mates have powers. We won’t be last long as they are looking for you”
“I’m just glad they didn’t use us to find you”
“That won’t do, defectors had little reach to search around this city’s new surveillance”
They made into the meeting room as one of his friends are discussing with a businessman.
“You made it, now let’s introduce ourselves the man own this empty little space of the realm”
“Hello, but there’s no need for introduction. We both know let’s make this business anonymous”
“True that”
The Perb’s reason to be invited was for helping them gain options for their offers. The suitable role for them to have legitimate work through illegitimate source of money. The businessman had connections since the summer but now he’s focusing on the underdogs.
“I know production is a little low, but plans should be certain when supplies are up”
“Thanks again to allow us to be part of business”
“Thank none of it, remember that you’re the one who will be handling the business I set up for you. The debts will rise when the supplies are coming. Now let’s talk business here”
The Perb leans to one of his friends. Whispering to each other as there is no way a businessman like him, a professional, to be this glad sharing ideas with them.
“I never seen this man acting highly us as beginners”
“I know, but this man comes up on top during the summer. He pulls a lot of stuff getting through other businesses get a lot of their exotic foods from him"
The businessman heard them and cheers on to them.
“You’re absolutely right”
“Hey, don’t disturb us. We are in the middle of things”
“Well . . . you know me. I’m a kind of guy would soothe some senses among you four. I know, I maybe adding luck to the equation. But I got what I earn those small stalls and fortune that worth of few months of profit under one week”
“I get it, please continue”
“Alright, where was I . . .”
The Perb and the others commented on his attitude.
“He sounds a bit of old”
“Yeah, the sound of a con artist to me”
“Now I think of it, he is definitely a foreigner”
They look at the businessman’s looks as he is busy talking to their other friend. He is definitely a foreigner but his attitude is beyond what they judge him to be.
“He acts like some 90s salesman. What would I know foreigners in 2016?”
“Let’s just see the contract and end with it. If this con artist knows his tricks, then you know when to stop it, right?”
The Perb knows his side of scamming others, and the businessman he hears through his dialogue. Mostly small talks, but he sounds a bit like he knows something.
In conclusion, the businessman reviews their negotiation.
“Alright, among the rest of the small businesses. You people are the most questionable, past anonymous, daring, introverts . . . whatever that means, and poorly experienced in decision making I have ever met for the past months. I love it”
The Perb and the others took their face into disgust but the one who is making a deal with him grins.
“What?” All three said it.
The businessman continues “I’d say you two would be best to make products in private. Your ideas were a bit old school you’d say but doing it in virtual reality. I couldn’t say more”
“But would you do it”
“Oh, I would, innovation is the key for the risky man to do business with and also . . . it feels like you know people’s private matter”
“I sure do”
“Great! this is half of the contract. Other half need to be renegotiated after the testing phase. Because I have no idea those computer stuff you just mentioned, especially . . . Uhm, let’s just see it after next week or two. Ok?”
“Sure”
The staff opens the door “Sir, your next appointment is here in the next 10 minutes”
He left as he is late for his next meeting. Without a word as they sit there read the signed half contract. The Perb reads it and he sees nothing weird of it except being short.
“Make a product . . . that’s it?”
“Well, I uhm, I spoke a lot of stuff to him except about the price”
“I don’t get it why he has his eyes on us to make business”
“Well, I have money and so”
“You bribe him to listen, did you?”
“He did listen and some he didn’t get it”
“Uh? we can talk about it later. Let’s go something to eat”
The Perb declines “Sorry, but I have been seeing people from time to time. I don’t want bumping into them as we go together”
“Uh sure, I’ll send another invitation for the next meeting”
The Perb moves out first as he remembered something odd during the time getting through the teleportation. There he stands on the magic circle as the staff prepares it for him.
“Please remembered you will be transfer back where you were teleported from and have a nice night”
As he was teleported, he sees it again a strange link entwined with another line. He uses his magic to force misdirect from the other link as it disrupts the direction where to go and forced him to go somewhere else. Now connected with his magic, he is randomly teleported somewhere else.
He appears inside the realm. The realm melts and loses its form by the dust already spread here and damaging the realm. The Perb looks at his hand as it is frozen on his fingertips. The UI pops up to him as the exposure rises. The dust had shown great disturbance on his power. Weakening him as he needs to get away from here, his senses find out the man who disrupts the teleportation magic is tracking him down. He rushes forward where he needs to escape. The doorway of the realm melted solid to the dusts. He rams it forward breaking through the secret realm.
He looks around where he is somewhere at the parking lot. Where he looks ahead where the stadium should be, now looking at his back where Mihayara district is closed by. It is not good for him as he must runs off. Then he hears a footstep, someone is coming and looks around trying to sense who was that person is. There is no one but he hears it, he changes his perception to see better through the night as he keeps hearing someone is coming. Struggling to find the stranger while the other is coming, and running.
The blinking of the street lights where he turns to see it. Then he quickly turns around wheel kick at the stranger. The man stops where the Perb nearly kicks his face. A man with a pickaxe on hand, throws a paper at him. He raises his kick with wind magic and knock him off. The scroll reacted from the touch of his magic and counters him with strong margin of it infused to his weapon. The man strikes through with his pickaxe. The Perb dodges it but the man hits other scroll on the ground to align his footings. Struck down as he slides back, the Perb trips down on the ground without him noticing a thing what’s going on.
The man pulled something out from his bag and thrown a large amount of dust on him. The Perb sees his UI muddled from the exposure as he feels his natural body condition through his head. The unhealthy body, weakening and soring through his every muscle and breathing. He looks at the man raises up his pickaxe like he is not finished yet. This moment reminded him that incident in Black and White Zone, the consecutive attacks either success or fail. He hopes he is that same person and pokes his fore head.
The man strikes down and misses close to his neck. The man raises up his weapon and said,
“I see, you have our secret. Then again you were appeared near the realm, one of the gangs’ hideouts”
The man breathes heavily and see a glimpse form his UI is already reaching high level of exposure. It reads “91%” While the rest all blurred out from the immense amount of dust on him. Then the Perb said in reply
“I was teleported here. Someone is disrupting my magic cough*”
The man looks around as he can’t see through the dark but the lights next to them. Then a large sound of slow claps heading from the other direction where another man stands before them. The Perb said was true, he was being followed. The man was able to disrupt the magic link and even forced him to go transfer somewhere else. While the incident where the dusts fall down from the sky leaving a gaping hole from the barrier causes a distraction. It was luck from what he observed and now he is here while the main police force is focusing on the center of the attention.
Barely sees him as he is covered in dust and fog from the powder laying in the air. The silhouette speaks to him such an avenging tone.
“I have come this far to finally meet you. And now here you are already dressed in dusts. I am such a lucky bastard laugh*”
The Perb expected they will come back after what he did, but never expect one of them is smart enough to set it up. He looks up to the man with the pickaxe, the man steps aside to let him see the silhouette’s face can be seen a little bit but he doesn’t remember who is that victim is.