Chapter 55: [55] Thank You…
Ark already knew that players were often treated with reverence, but he was certain it was not to this extent...
’She must have read something about me on that website.’ He mused.
But he was a new player. What could they have added already? Now it made sense why the association was already tailing him.
Bronya glanced at the view by their side, then she gave Ark a flat stare.
"Have you somehow become a celebrity overnight?" She seemed just as surprised as him.
Ark sighed, the least thing he wanted at this point was attention. But when his gaze shifted to the wine, a smile blossomed on his face.
’Maybe this isn’t so bad eh?’
He uncorked the wine and poured a glass for both of them, handing Bronya one glass.
She stared at the glass of swirling red liquid for a few seconds, before shaking her head. "I have an early shift tomorrow, I can’t drink..."
Ark raised a brow. "You aren’t going to work tomorrow. You’re taking less shifts now, remember?"
Something sparkled in those blue eyes. "Well, in that case." She smiled and picked up the glass, downing everything in one go. "Keh~! Let’s get the party started!"
They ordered their food, and the chef personally came to their table to prepare it right in front of them.
Ark could not remember the last time he ate that much. By the time they were done, they were all as round as balloons, and had to waddle out of the restaurant like penguins.
Actually, only two of them were able to walk. Bronya was dead drunk, so Ark had to carry her on his back back to the car.
Since Ark had drunk, they had to order a driver to take them home, but every single second of it was worth it.
When they got home, Ark carried both his sleepy sisters to their rooms and tucked them in. He had walked to the door when Bronya called his name.
"Ark..." Her voice was sleepish, but her eyes were open.
"Yes?"
A few seconds passed.
"Thank you."
Ark raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"
But Bronya had already gone back to sleep.
"I should be the one thanking you." Ark whispered as he slowly began shutting the door.
"Umm... stay away, stay away from my brother." Cracker muttered in her sleep, waving her hands in the air.
He laughed before the door clicked shut.
<•••>
"You fool."
The words echoed throughout the room, as though coming from everywhere at once, as well as nowhere.
The room was dark with only a faint blue light illuminating the space, the floor was filled with shifting shadows, and constant sounds of snapping bones filled the air.
Occasionally, a skeletal hand would reach out from the abyss below and caress the air, before vanishing away from sight.
At the very front of the room was a man sitting on a black throne, and behind him were three undead, each with an aura that rivaled even some of the most notable players.
The first was a massive bone wyvern. The creature’s tail stretched through the entire length of the room, and its large bony wings burned with black fire.
The creature fixed its eyes on a boy kneeling before the throne, and he visibly trembled, cold sweat running down his body.
Beside the wyvern was a woman with grey skin and red eyes. But behind her beautiful face and pearly white teeth, was a truly horrendous being.
The boy had seen her transformation in the past... he had seen those teeth sharpen like knives, he had seen her mouth extend beyond what was normal, her skin blacken like tar...
She was an emotionless husk, a killing machine made for the sole purpose of serving her master...
Right next to this horrid woman, was the third undead, a knight who stood gallantly.
His two hands were resting on the pommel of his sword, the top pressed on the ground, against the abyss.
As opposed to her, although he was an undead, there was an air of valiance and justice around him, which only served to make him even more horrifying.
But these three harrowing creatures paled in comparison to the person who sat on the throne.
He had long white hair the colour of snow, and eerie eyes of the same colour. Despite his human-like appearance, he was anything but that.
He was a Nephlim.
Cain’s older brother, Ares.
Cain kept his head bowed low as his brother stared him down.
Ares raised a file into the air. "What is the meaning of this, Cain?"
Cain knew exactly what the file contained, he knew the reason his brother had summoned him. But he kept quiet, speaking would be foolish.
Ares was the type of person that could not be reasoned with.
He opened the file, slowly. Then he raised his hand toward the woman beside him.
She handed him a pair of glasses and he wore them, resting its rim on the bridge of his nose.
"Hmm... let me see." He licked his fingers and pulled out the white paper within it, acting as though he had not already read it.
"Oh?"
"The Fable girl was evaluated to have SSS potential, the dead headmasters kid was evaluated to have SSS potential, even a fucking skeleton? How amusing."
He shook his head.
"And yet, you were only evaluated as SS." He said it in a lower tone, as though the very evaluation confused him.
A few seconds passed in tense silence.
"I cannot say I am surprised, considering your middling birth." He handed the ghoul the paper, and she neatly organized it before tucking it into her breasts.
Cain felt a pang in his chest. His jaw clenched hard, but he kept his head bowed.
"As horrible as your performance was, I was going to let it slide. Your dear mother begged me for your sake after all..."
Cain felt relief flood him. "Thank you for your kindness—"
Ares shrugged.
"They say when you have zero expectations, it is less easy to be dissapointed..."
"And yet, you still somehow managed to disappoint me..."
"?!"
"Nghh!"
A heavy pressure suddenly descended upon Cain, causing him to buckle, bowing to the point that he kissed the floor.
Ares’ eyes grew even colder than they had been. The undead in the abyss below grew unsettled, the sound of scratching bones became so loud, so maddening, that Cain’s composure crumbled.
The room was chaotic, a myriad of voices flooding his head.
It was as though he could hear the countless screams of the enslaved souls begging for mercy, for a chance at redemption, for a reprieve from their suffering...
It took everything in Cain to hold back his scream.
"Do you know what father received just yesterday?" Ares tapped his finger on his armrest.
The ghoul pulled out another letter from her breast. But this one was white and had a broken seal, the seal of house Fable.
She handed him the letter and he waved it in the air. "Tell me brother. Do we strike you as the type of people to patronise a whore house?"
Cain was confused. He shook his head.
"Do you have such... proclivities?"
Cain shook his head.
"Then tell me. Why did father receive a letter from that fable whore?"
"..."
The room drowned into silence. A calm before an unsettling storm.
"You tried to kill her didn’t you?"
Cain’s eyes widened.
"Brother! That is a lie, I did no such—!"
The world around Cain blurred, and when he came to, he was pinned to the wall by his brother, his cold hands tightly wrapped around his throat and digging into his neck.
Cain gurgled blood. His vision dimmed.
Ares’ stared at him with those vacant white eyes. "You gave that little shit the leverage to insult our family, and now you dare speak in my presence?"
The more horrifying part of it was that even now, Cain could not sense any emotion from his brother, just a vast emptiness that unsettled him.
Ares’ grip tightened, and a snapping sound followed.
He laughed. "Funny isn’t it?
"I would have understood if you failed to kill her. But how couldn’t you even cover up your tracks?"
"Fix your mess, dear brother." Ares said in a mocking tone. "Do not bring shame to Oder."
In that very moment, feeling his lungs burn for oxygen, and his neck ache as though his head was about to be ripped off...
Cain only had one thought.
’Ark... Soo-jin. I will make you pay for this embarrassment. No matter the cost!’
And then everything went dark.
...
Adventures’ handbook!
According to the Player association rankings, the top guilds are as follows:
1. Fable
2. Night
3. Order
4. Prime
5. Harrow