Ding Dong!
The bell chimed and a man with tied shoulder length black hair rose from below the desk. He greeted the guest with charm, “Good afternoon, dear guest. Welcome to Cat’s Whiskers. How may I help you?”. The guest, a woman with long black hair stared at him with confused eyes. Her black pupils contracted upon seeing her surrounding. Fear clouded her entire being and her body trembled. “W-what? Who are you?! I-I was just, my brother, I-!”
The man gave no reaction towards her screams. He nodded as if expecting her reaction and placed a hand on top of his heart, “I am The Receptionist. My job here is to make sure our dear guests have a comforting rest for their stay here.” He stated, his voice calm and unchanging in the midst of the woman’s screams. “What do you mean?! Is this a hotel?” she asked, her face pale but she stopped trembling. The man, now dubbed as The Receptionist hummed. “I see here. How about you open your status panel and see your mission list?”
The woman furrowed her eyebrows, “But, I’m out of that-that world! What do you mean mission?”
“There are three types of missions, yes? One is the collective main mission, the second one is the side mission, and the third one should be the world mission. The world mission you have right now should be, [Check-In at Cat’s Whiskers]” he explained. The Receptionist gave her a kind smile when her whole being changed from scared to peace immediately. “Ah yes, yes, I see. I’m sorry!” she bowed towards him. Having seen many players apologize to him like this, The Receptionist’s expression did not fluctuate. “Room for one?” he asked.
The woman nodded. “10 points per night. However because you’re a new player, the hotel kindly treats you to your first night. Tomorrow, you will pay the 10 points for your second night. Is this clear?”
“Yes, yes very.”
“Alright.” He then grabbed a keycard made of wood with a paw imprint and the number 455 on it. “Room 455, fourth floor. We wish you a comfortable rest tonight.” The Receptionist bowed. The woman muttered a ‘thanks’ before taking the lift on her right.
After confirming there’s no one coming in after her, the man sighed. He wiped an imaginary sweat and immediately sat down, making him unseen from anyone’s gaze. Anyone coming in from the front anyway.
[Main Mission: Greet guests tonight (10/10)]
“Whew. I can finally rest.”
He took off his black vest. His eyes caught the faint glimmer the name tag gave him. ‘The Receptionist’. As the name suggests, he’s a hotel receptionist. He has no name, no identity, besides The Receptionist. He works from 6 PM in the afternoon, greeting guests. In daytime, he’d spend his time scrolling through the player forum, reading gossips and answering any requests their guests have.
He glanced at his panel. The timer on top showed a 24 hour countdown. He massaged his temples upon seeing it. “I’ll enter an instance tomorrow.” He murmured. “I’ll put the AI on watch for the guests.” He continued. “Ugh, can the system just give me a pay rise? It’s been years!”
Although that’s impossible, he kept complaining. His job is just to greet the newcomers, nothing else. Once they have settled in their rooms, the system would then automatically transport them to their room after a game. If they wish to travel outside of the hotel, they’d also be automatically transported to the Capital, the center of the player hub. The Receptionist relaxed, knowing nobody in their right mind would use the hotel’s front door instead of transporting inside their room immediately. Humans loved convenience, and they would hate to abandon that.
However, just as he was about to loosen his buttons, the bell rang.
Ding Dong
The oak wood door opened gently, bringing with it a chilly wind. The Receptionist hastily put on his vest back and buttoned it up again. He carded his long pale fingers in his black hair before standing up and bowing to the person in front of him. “Welcome to Cat’s Whiskers. How may I-!”
His eyes widened for a fraction of second before schooling his expression down to his previous smiling one. Facing him is a player, an important player. Standing tall in the middle of the Cat’s Whisker’s lobby is none other than the number five ranked himself, Antonio, codename ‘Pope’. He puts his cigarette out using a pinch of his fingers and placed it inside of a tin case. He then hid the tin case inside of the pocket of his pants. The man’s gaze never once leaving The Receptionist’s figure.
“-help you today?”
The man smiled, his eyes curving. “Hello. Sorry for disturbing your rest.” He starts.
The Receptionist’s complain died in his heart upon hearing the gentle tone the man used. His smile turned a little more genuine. ‘At least somebody has manners’ he thinks. He waited for Antonio to speak, keeping his hands in front of him, clasped. The man then rubbed his stubble, eyes leaving The Receptionist for once and roamed around the lobby, seemingly taking his time forming his words. “I have a request to make.”
Once that sentence left his mouth, the long haired smiling man’s face tensed. The Receptionist gripped his hand tight. He was ready for this. The system did not prohibit the hotel receptionist to reveal their identities as players. It allowed them freedom of expression. But most hotel receptionists ended up being lowkey in the player scene even if they wanted to rise up in the rankings.
That is-
“I need your [Bid The Guests Goodnight]”
Because of their skill to pull down the instance difficulty by two levels.
The Receptionist’s silence did not deter the man’s whole being. He instead let the silence stretch and stared back into the other’s unnerving purple eyes. Then the man behind the counter nodded in understanding, his smiling lips morphed into a thin line, “Follow me.”
The Receptionist beckoned Antonio to an oak wood door to the left of the lobby. The long haired man opened the door, revealing a spacious neat office where it smells like jasmine. The pleasant scent wafted through the air and Antonio subconsciously closed his eyes and exhaled a breath.
“Peaceful, isn’t it?” the calm voice of The Receptionist with hints of amusement reached the man’s ears making him chuckle, “So, this is the office of the infamous receptionist of Cat’s Whiskers.” He said while observing his surroundings in blatant curiosity. The Receptionist laughed, he hid his smile behind a hand. “Infamous, is it?” he replied.
“Well, anybody would’ve. Imagine the game suddenly caring for newcomers when back then we never had a ‘newcomer’ accommodation.”
The Receptionist sat on his chair, now facing Antonio, “Its benevolence knows no bounds…” he said, albeit a touch reluctantly. Then he scoffed, “Enough of that. I bet we all know of its benevolence. So, what is it that I can help you with?”
Antonio took a seat in front of The Receptionist. He calmly placed his elbow on the mahogany table then he leaned his head into his hand, “You see I have a bit of a conundrum earlier.” He starts. The Receptionist signaled him to continue with a nod, “I recently found out one of my little brothers was pulled into this game through a friend,” he sighed, a finger traced his stubble anxiously, “I’m not saying he’s not capable but as an older brother, I’ve got to worry, you know?”
“And?”
“He passed the newcomer mission around yesterday night. He should be in this hotel right now.”
“We as Receptionists can’t disclose a client’s information.” The Receptionist interjected.
“No, I’m not asking you to tell me his room number. I’m just asking you, did he come by here yesterday night? Just, tell me if you had seen him.”
The long haired man didn’t reply, silently asking for Antonio to divulge more information. “Look. I can’t tell you how I got this information but it’s from someone I trust and someone I know can see things a normal player can’t see. They said that my little brother may be stuck in the instance and can’t get out despite him already clearing the missions and have received the system prompt.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The Receptionist furrowed his eyebrows. ‘Well, this is peculiar’, he thinks. In his experience as a player, he had never heard of a newcomer being stuck in an instance. The system usually transported them to this hotel immediately after the main mission is cleared. There are no errors, as far as he knows. He’ll ask his Receptionist friends later whether they had known such cases.
“The instance is called [Hanging Village]. A simple ghost instance where you only need to survive for three days. He did survive and managed to finish the main and side missions. It was a, you could say, an easy instance. He even had two veterans with him and five out of seven newcomers survived. They should’ve checked in yesterday night.”
The Receptionist did remember the newcomers from yesterday night. But, “Five?” he whispered. Although he kept his voice soft, Antonio, a veteran player, can still hear it. He stopped talking. He changed his laid-back posture and straightened his back. His hand gripped the armrest. “Do you mean-“
“What is your request?”
Antonio exhaled. He forced himself to calm down and rubbed his hands on his face. “My request,” he stopped for a moment before continuing, “[Hanging Village] is closed. The instance name is grey, meaning it was completed. My friend did a favor for me and divined the instance my brother would be in. It seems, he’s inside the world of instances, where the stories interconnect and received a side mission that required him to move to another place where a certain game is about to start.”
Divine.
“Player number four, Lost Prayer?”
Antonio smiled through the gaps of his fingers.
“I need you to come with me to the instance [When Birds Cry]. It is said to be a B level instance. Of course, something not a newcomer is familiar with. With you there, the instance level will be dropped to D.”
“You knowing all of this information would know by now the consequences of using my skill, right?”
Antonio released his hands from his face, revealing a sheepish smile, his eyes curved like crescent moons. “Yeah. I will protect you the whole instance, in turn, my brother will survive. You just need to be there.”
“Your brother will survive you say? I thought you’ll ask me to help him clear the instance.” The Receptionist tilted his head in confusion. Well it’s nice for his first request to be something that can be done idly. But, the man before him sounded so confident his brother will get out and only asked for The Receptionist’s presence.
“That’s asking a bit too much. I only need you there. I don’t care if you’re even sleeping the whole time. I’ll carry you. The most important thing is your presence.” His previously curved eyes opened to reveal brilliant rubies that The Receptionist did not notice before. “Coming to a D-leveled instance with the number five player at your beck and call sounds exciting, doesn’t it?” he added, a playful smile crossed his features.
The Receptionist hummed. It does sound exciting. But the most important bit has got to be- “The payment.” He mused out loud. “Because this is my first ever request, I won’t demand something big. I won’t demand points either. Your payment will be…”
A few tense seconds passed.
The Receptionist opened his mouth upon seeing Antonio’s blank stare, “Ensuring me good food and good rest in the instance.”
Tick Tock
“I accept.”
“Good.”
The Receptionist stood up and Antonio followed. The former offered the taller man a hand. They then shook their hands, both wearing a satisfied smile. However, The Receptionist held Antonio’s hand for a few seconds despite them finishing their handshake. “Uh, Mr. Receptionist?” the man stared at The Receptionist with confused eyes. The other kept his smile and out of nowhere, Antonio’s eyes widened. In front him is a blue screen, a sign of the system gracing their exchange, that says;
[Apollo sent you a friend request!]
[Y / N]
Antonio’s finger reached unwaveringly towards the ‘Y’ and clicked it.
[You have accepted the friend request.
You can now message each other privately.]
“Although the private message doesn’t work in the instance, the item trading and SOS alarm still works.” The Receptionist nodded with finality. He then opened another panel and looked at the open instances. “I found it. That instance should be open in an hour. I’ll register us in the meantime. Mr. Antonio can make yourself at home here, just don’t touch the fragiles.”
As The Receptionist busied himself with administration, Antonio lounged on one of the comfortable loveseat in the office. The entire room began to be wrapped in silence, the only noise being The Receptionist’s hums as he navigates the forums and Receptionist groupchat.
For his first request, The Receptionist didn’t expect to be faced with an unknown case. Many of his colleagues had shared tales of ridiculous requests they got as their first request when the knowledge that you can ask the help of The Receptionists for a price was leaked. It was unknown who leaked it, but the system nor The Receptionists intended to hide it for long so all goes well that goes well. This information was only known by few people and many are deterred by the ridiculous prices The Receptionists gave them that they won’t even come to The Receptionists unless they can’t solve their problems themselves. For example, problems like Antonio’s.
[Ask for help!]
Artemis: Anyone waiting for the instance [Little Apple]?
I’ve got another slot.
Demeter: You serious? Even a toddler can survive with their eyes closed.
Artemis: That’s why. I want to sleep. It’s a three day instance, chill.
Demeter: So a vacation?
Feels like it could go wrong at any moment.
Artemis: Well? Anyone fancy a murder-free vacation in the mountain of Alps?
Hephaestus: Not me but maybe you can take this one kid for a round of swinging?
Artemis: I’m not ur babysitter!!
Also, is that a request?
Hephaestus: Sure. You can count it as one if you wish.
Artemis: OLD MAN UR THE BEST!! Okay, bring me a holy scepter from the instance [Golden Island]!!!
Athena: Artemis, you’re really good at holding a grudge, huh…
Hephaestus: That’s understandable. Considering she got a different scepter from the one she wanted.
A deal’s a deal. With my constitution, your scepter’s as good as yours. In return, don’t forget to give that brat a good swinging lesson.
Artemis: Like fighting lessons? Or uhh…be specific!
Hephaestus: You’ll understand it once you interact with him.
Apollo: Hi, sorry, just a slight interlude in your discussion. I got my first request today!
Artemis: HOW WHAT IS IT
Hephaestus: Finally!
Demeter: This is cause for celebration!
Athena: Don’t get fooled and set a high price.
Hermes: Well?
Apollo: I ran into a peculiar request. It wasn’t like any of your first requests…or requests, ever.
Artemis: WHAT?!
Athena: Let him finish!
Apollo: The Pope, like number five Pope, came into Cat’s Whiskers and asked for my help. Or well, specifically, my presence in a B leveled instance to lower the difficulty. This is fairly normal, right? Would you believe me the reason he asked for my presence was because his brother was trapped in his newcomer instance?!
Athena: That’s…
Hermes: You can’t be serious…
Zeus: He’s serious, Apollo? He’s not pranking you, was he?
Apollo: No no no! Though he didn’t deny nor confirm it, he said ‘somebody’ divined his brother’s whereabouts! I don’t think anyone who is lying would lie about something bizarre like this. If he did lie, I am confident I can escape the instance the moment something is wrong.
Lost Prayer might have divined it. He’s the only player I know that can see beyond this place and into the unlimited streams. He said that Pope’s brother is stuck doing a side mission that required him to stay in that world and travel to the place where a game will take place manually.
Zeus: He might have triggered a branch. A storyline branch. This is not rare by any means. However, for a player to be stuck in a world, forced to go to the next instance like that is unheard of…
Artemis: He is…alive then? That’s…impressive.
Apollo: If he’s divined to be going towards the next game place, then most likely, yes he is alive.
Athena: Though I’m afraid not for long.
The system, as robotic as it is, has enough compassion to give the newcomers a protection bubble that lasts 24 hours after they completed their first mission successfully. Past that, they are forced to defend themselves. It won’t be too much of a fuss if he is in the Player Hub, but out there, where the horrors are uncountable...
Demeter: How long has it been, Apollo?
Apollo: 24 hours…
The silence that stretched in the chatroom was suffocating. The Receptionist closed his panels and sighed. He hoped that Antonio’s brother is still alive. Maybe an intact corpse? He doesn’t know where to begin setting his expectations at. If Antonio’s brother is still intact, any physical injuries that was dealt to him can be healed by Antonio. Moreover, Antonio being one of the wealthiest player can definitely cough up some penny to pay for his brother’s resurrection ritual if he wishes so.
Ding Dong!
“Mr. Antonio. We must go.” The Receptionist turned around.
“Mhm.” A resounding hum answered him.
Quickly, The Receptionist grabbed a white cloak and wore it on top of his uniform, not bothering himself to change. The cloak’s hood perfectly concealed most of The Receptionist’s features. He wore glasses that further covered his face, not taking any chances.
The only thing he has removed from his attire was the name tag that said ‘Receptionist’.
He turned to Antonio who was looking at him in wonder. ‘He’s never seen someone like me in action?’, The Receptionist thought smugly. “Alright,” he glanced at the 50 second countdown, “Mr. Antonio, you can call me Apollo once we are there. Or just ‘Pollo if you want!” he grinned.
Before the light takes them, The Receptionist—no, Apollo saw the other man smile, “Sure. In return, call me ‘Toni.”
Then white filled their vision.