Residential Sector.

Wednesday, 13th May 2043.

The 'rooms' reserved for the selected teams were more like underground condos.

Upon entry, Suzuki and his team gaped at the daunting size. A flight of stairs to the left led to the individual rooms, each as large as standard hotels. The ground floor had a half-hexagonal shaped depression at the north end with a single sofa fitted along the depressed walls. A ridiculously large screen hung on the 'magic' walls(which changed scenery via a switch to provide atmosphere). Past the living room to the right was a fully fitted kitchen with all the latest in appliances. A quick check showed provisions had even been stacked.

For Suzuki, it was his first time (in reality) he had ever been to a place as grand... and he didn't care. A quick glance at the essentials, and he was on his way to his room.

"Hold it!" Jade cut off the young man’s ascent . She barred his path, bright eyes challenging his.

A half-smile curled up Suzuki's lips. It was kind of hilarious. Though she was a rung above him, he was still taller than her.

Jade frowned . She did not like his mocking smile. "What is it?"

Suzuki, in reply, shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind. What's the matter?"

"We need to talk about what just happened. I mean, wars and fighting and testing!? Didn't any of that faze you?"

Suzuki yawned. "Sure, it did." He patted her head as he walked past. "But I'm too tired to think about it now... Maybe tomorrow?"

Jade faltered, holding her head. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, which she then channeled into a purposeful rage. She grabbed his collar and yanked him back. "At the very least, greet the new guy."

Suzuki turned to Usman. He stared at the young man for the longest of periods, then raised his right hand. "...Yo."

"Yo," Usman aptly replied with an amused smile.

Having completed his task, Suzuki glanced at Jade. "There, I've greeted him. Can I go now?"

"Not even close," Jade rebuked and then display ed an impressive amount of physical strength by dragg ing Suzuki down the stairs.

Taiga chuckled at the boy's helplessness. "Girls really are scary creatures."

Saeko raised a brow. "What was that?"

Taiga raised his arms in surrender. "Nothing. I said nothing."

"That's what I thought."

Jade forced Suzuki to the 'hole' (the name for the living room space) and sat him down. She motioned, and the others joined the reluctant young man on the sofa. "Seeing as we'll be working as a team from now on, I feel it's only fitting we properly introduce ourselves. I'll start. My name is Yuhi Jade. I'm nineteen, and I play as a level 72 fire mage in L.N.E named Elena. Special talents are hacking and styling." She then motioned to Saeko.

Saeko chuckled and then said with a sigh, "Minako Saeko . I am eighteen years of age. My L ine avatar is a level 103 samurai called Shoko." She ignored Taiga's mocking chuckle. "Unfortunately, the only special 'talent' I have is classified top secret." Her declaration raised brows, but considering where they were, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

Taiga followed up. He scratched his head as he thought of what to say. "Eh... name's Taiga. Nineteen... I think? Avatar's called Syel Rifatora. Currently level 90 bloodmage." He spotted Suzuki's spark of interest and grinned sheepishly. "Heh? Someone's finally paying attention. Well then, why don't you tell us about yourself. You've hidden it long enough, don't you think?"

Suzuki winced at the piercing gazes. He knew there was no way he could escape from this, and he wasn't really a big fan of lying to allies. He closed his eyes and sighed. "My name is Mato Suzuki. I’m 17 , and a retired professional gamer. My Line avatar's Kashi. Currently level 82 and a painter. I have no special skills except for gaming."

Dun!

The room went deathly silent.

"Did you say Kashi?" Saeko asked in a strained whisper. "The infamous hidden leader of the Hopeful Maggots?"

Suzuki frowned. "I guess he's not that hidden if you know about that."

Saeko waved her hand, shaking her head. "No, no, it's a very closely guarded rumor. I only found out when I paid for information from the assassin’s guild ."

"Is that so? That's good then." To divert attention from himself, Suuzki turned to the new guy. "Your name's Usmanu Taki-san, I believe?"

Usman chuckled. "You japs and your intonation. Just call me Taki. I can't bear you murdering the pronunciation every time."

"You're not Japanese?" Taiga asked, puzzled. Save for the blond hair (which could have easily been dyed) the young man looked every bit Japanese.

"On my father's side ,” Usman clarified. “ He's half J ap, half Lebanese. Mother's Canadian. Well, strictly speaking, she's half- G erman," he elaborated with a short laugh. "I've got a nice continental blend, though the Japanese genes are much more dominant."

"Heh? How long you lived here? Your accent's near perfect."

"About three years?" Usman answered, then suddenly switched to an Osakan accent. "Ain' da hard pickin' up an accen' ya know?"

Taken aback by the sudden change, Taiga couldn't help but be impressed, which he punctuated with whistles and short claps. "Well then, I guess we know what your talent is."

Usman shook his head. "Nah, this isn't what I'd call a talent. It's something I picked up from moving a lot. My real talent's reading people."

"What do you mean, read people?" Jade piped in, as she dragged Suzuki down before he could carry out his trademark sneak escape.

Usman shrugged, a bit embarrassed by the general interest. "I’ve liked observing people since I was a kid . I wasn't the outgoing guy I eventually grew up to be. Instead, I'd sit back in class and soak in the conversations of my classmates. I'd watch their body language, my teachers', people on the streets,' and even animals. Then I'd try to make up stories of their lives based only on their dressing, demeanor, manner of speech, choice of words... heck even hairstyles. Anything to spice up the story. I practiced getting them as close to the real story as possible, and before I knew it, I was getting eight out of ten reads right. I became more outgoing, used my skills in games, and that somehow got me here."

"Uwah~ that's amazing."

"How about you do a read on us?" Taiga beckoned, intrigued. "Let's judge for ourselves how good you are."

Usman looked at the group. "Sure, if that's okay with the rest of you."

Saeko and Jade nodded their approval, while Suzuki sighed in resignation.

"Ladies first then," Usman said. He studied Jade with an intense glare. "Driven, loud, but only to those you trust. Terribly impatient, but loyal to a fault. You're a rebel. You choose to go against the norm but stay away from real trouble. Also impulsive. You do and say things before you have a chance to second guess them. Coupled with an insatiable curiosity, you're almost lucky to avoid any real disasters."

The girl in question stared. "I... I wouldn't call myself a rebel, but I guess you're mostly right. That's one right, I guess. Let's see how you do with the others."

"Haha, that's a relief ,” Usman chuckled, and then scratched his chin as h e examined Saeko. "Proud. Confident in your abilities. Extremely Intelligent, but there's someone you want to impress. A male figure: perhaps a dad, brother, uncle, caretaker? I don't know. But this person is the center of your world. Most of your... 'actions' are aimed at impressing him. What else? Ah, you're rather friendly even though you like to pretend otherwise and much more down-to-earth than you seem."

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Saeko frowned, slightly uncomfortable form being dissected so easily. "You're pretty good; I'll give you that."

Usman laughed. "Not at all. I noticed you guys before today. The four of you stand out pretty well."

"Okay Maestro," Taiga mocked. "Read me."

Usman chuckled. "You are the most open of the lot. A good ol' open book wearing your heart on your sleeves. You've had your fair share of pain, losing someone you care deeply about. You mask your disdain for the world behind your daring attitude and try to at least enjoy as much of it as you can. But you're also fiercely loyal. Moreso to those you deem 'friends,' which are few and far between. But more than anything, you loathe personal weakness." He paused, losing the smile. "And you're heavily scarred by your own actions..."

A shadow crossed Taiga's face, but it was quickly replaced with a wolfish grin. "Eh? You seem to know a bit more than that."

"You got me... but I can't say the rest. It's too personal."

"Suit yourself. Well then," Taiga wrapped his arm around Suzuki's neck, "Why don't you read our little Sukki-chan."

"Sure. Easy enough." Usman studied the young gamer.

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"Taki!"

Usman snapped to Taiga, shocked by the abrupt shout. He noticed Saeko and Jade, watching him with worried eyes. "...how long?"

"You blanked out for nearly five minutes," Taiga informed him. "Been screaming your name for three."

The blond cradled his head, stunned by the amount of sweat, especially considering they were in an air-conditioned room. He wiped his face then smiled awkwardly at the group. "Don't worry. This happens from time to time. I t ’s a nasty side effect of over-concentration. I'll be fine after a good rest. Sadly, there'll be no more reading today."

"Che," Taiga muttered, disappointed. "Too bad. Wanted to hear your take on the kid."

"What's your class?" Kashi asked.

"Level 86 Merchant," Usman replied.

"Location?"

"Currently in Rosendun. Every smart merchant is moving there. Business is booming after all."

"Oh? Good to know."

"Why?"

Suzuki shook his head as he stood up. "Sorry I've got to go. Kashi's got an appointment he can't miss."

"What's this?" Taiga asked. "Kashi's got a girlfriend?"

"He's got a female friend," he replied deadpan.

Taiga flashed a Cheshire grin. "What I said."

Sighing, Suzuki turned to Jade. "Can I go now?"

"Sure. We're more or less done for the day."

"Alright then ." Suzuki stood up and and then said as he left to find his bedroom . "See you guys tomorrow."

"See you," they chorused, with Usman watching the young gamer's retreat.

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Later that night...

Usman sat in front of his work desk, flipping through files. He wore a mixed expression of trepidation, excitement, and fear. Every so often, he would find himself tap ping aimlessly on the table. He would then grab his wrist, forcing himself to calm down, but it would only be a few minutes before the tapping resumed. This is why when a call came in on his laptop, he nearly fell over in fright.

He checked the caller ID : Boss.

Usma stabbing the left clicker vindictively.

No sooner had the caller (a disembodied voice) said hello , did Usman explode , "What The Hell Was That!?"

"I see you've met our Mato-kun," the voice answered with a chuckle . "How was your first meeting?"

Usman forcefully rubbed his forehead, teeth clenched tightly together. "...that kid, there's something seriously wrong with him." He forced his shaking hands to still as he said, "How can anyone live like that?"

"What's your assessment?"

"He's uh... what word do I use to describe him... empty. Yes, empty. I've seen many kinds of horrors but never have I seen someone like him."

"Elaborate."

"The kid's a black hole. I. . . t T ere's nothing to elaborate! There is no fucking Suzuki Mato!"

There was a short pause , then the voice said, "Good. That's some good work, Taki-kun. We'll be expecting more reports. In the meantime..."

"I understand. I won't let him catch on. But what i-"

Knock Knock

Short, purposeful rasps on Usman’s room door drew his attention.

"I'll be right back. Someone's at the door," Usman excused himself and then walked to the door. He opened it to see Suzuki, but there was something off , something he couldn't put his hand on.

"Here," Kashi said, handing him a paper with instructions scribbled on it. "Meet me there. I will only wait for three days."

"O-okay? What's this about?"

"Sorry," Kashi said. "You'll find out only if you go." He then returned to his room, leaving Usman alone in front of his door, stunned silent.

Usman shook his head and then muttered to himself, "This just keeps getting better and better." Pocketing the note, he walkver to his desk and sat down . "I'm in. He's invited me."

"Kashi did? Good, even better. Follow his orders when you meet up with him. The daeben must get everything he wants."

"The daeben? You mean Mato-kun, don't you?"

Another pause. Even longer, this time. "...You said it yourself, didn't you? There is no Suzuki Mato… Not yet at least."

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Northern Rosendun.

Though the Rosen army had begun cleansing of these areas, unfamiliarity with the terrain, wildlife, and hostility from basically every corner had severely hampered progress. As a result, most of the countr y’s resources which weren't occupied in restoring the capital and neighboring towns to their former glory were tasked with ending the war s in these parts

A tough call for any man, Great General Absalon, soon after assuming his position personally led players and armies into the hotly contested regions. The experience points gained were an excellent lure for Summoned, while guaranteed loot drops lured the adventurers. So on, there were clear signs of progress.

Despite this, there were still many zones that the Rosen army and adventurers had not yet reached. One of these was the forest town: Chercreek. More a village of lawless individuals, it was a wonder the population had not dropped to zero considering how many people died every day.

Inside this town, a daeben opened his eyes for the first time in days. Dressed in casual clothes, he stepped out of his room to a balcony overlooking the bar. He half expected mad brawls with people flinging wine bottles and maybe a death or two. But he was met with quite a pleasant sight.

Men and women, some still fresh with blood from their latest victims , sat still, transfixed by the beautiful duo performing on the stage. Between Shadow's awe-inspiring guitar skills, and Lunette's enrapturing song and dance, it was little wonder no one moved a muscle.

Kashi noticed Hektor and Kira listening aptly as well and smiled, amused by the sight. Both of them would deny fervently if he ever brought this moment up, but it was nice to see their solidarity.

Kashi walked down to the bar just as the duo switched to a more upbeat song. The patrons clearly bought into this new tune as they happily clapped and danced along . It had become a cult favorite among bards across the country.

He's dark, he's black, he'll eat your heart out!

Wit 'ere demons, he marches on! He marches on!

Beware, O King, he's coming for your throne!

Bu' he ain' gon' si' on it' because i' ain' his own!

And so we sing it: Oho-ohO!

Let them hear it: Oho-ohO!

Cause he's d ark, he's black, he'll eat your heart out!