As Damian's voice filled the air with his complaints about the fluttering fairies, which he equated to bothersome flies, Zen trudged through the gloomy forest. It reminded him of the mushroom forest veiled in a poisonous fog. Thankfully, Zen was immune to the side effects of miasma, a stark contrast to Damian's vulnerability. Any miasma that came into contact with him was instantly purified.
“You’re like a walking version of an air purifier,” the cyborg commented offhandedly after collecting his fourth fairy tear. “Part of me wish I’d taken the same quest path as you. These flies won’t stop trying to pull on my hair or scratch my eye out!”Compared to Damian’s initial aloof and disinterested personality, Zen thought he had drastically changed since requesting the Trial of Fire. Then again, this might be his true personality all along. The engineering genius had a childish and whimsical side from when his time had been frozenEven from afar, the forest looked brighter. Its lush greenery and vibrant colours starkly contrasted Zen's slow progress compared to Damian. The cyborg had already turned in his first part of the quest and was now tasked by Blacksmith Bob with creating a fairy trap. Despite the ominous feeling about Damian’s chosen quest path, Zen knew he could do nothing about it. The complex forked path quest on this floor must be a test of character more than skills. Although he had no idea why the Godfather would test someone’s character using the dungeon, he was glad to have a choice. Murder never sat well with him, even if bloodthirsty assassins surrounded him.“I’m back,” he greeted Father Mark, who had a radiant smile.“Welcome back, child,” the clergyman greeted warmly. “The forest looks livelier than it did in years. Thank you for doing what I should have been doing.”Shaking his head, Zen greeted the orphans, who were od
The fairy cake recipe looked fairly simple. Most ingredients could be found at Chef Marvin’s restaurant and Martha’s fruit stall. However, there were several things Zen had to forage personally. The second part of the main chain quest was similar regardless of the path Zen or Damian chose. They needed to hunt for monster loot in the forest.“It sure would be a lot easier to hunt with a walking air purifier,” Damian lamented over the voice call.Due to the location of the loot they needed, both boys decided to split up. Zen sighed. In the time Zen had taken to finish the first part of his quest, Damian used it to upgrade his gauntlet. Although its attack power was nowhere near as powerful as the main combatants of their party, Damian was able to hunt monsters a lot easier than Zen.“And I wish you could loan me the gauntlet,” Zen replied dryly. “That would make hunting a lot easier.”Not taking each other
With Marvin’s help, Zen eventually finished baking the fairy cake. He gained a new recipe to bake fairy cakes again if he wanted to. However, baking fairy cakes gave no additional buff or benefits besides summoning fairies for a random event. Summoning fairies could be done once a day. However, nobody could guarantee if they would play tricks or give him treats. The time required to collect all the ingredients, especially the sparkling sundew drops, was not very attractive compared to its benefits. Zen was happy to have a new cooking recipe in the dungeon, but that was about it.Upon his return to the fifth floor, Zen sought out Chef Melvin, proudly presenting the freshly baked fairy cake. After a thorough examination, Melvin deemed it satisfactory and directed Zen to consult Father Mark.“Unlike previously, the fairies are a little more hostile. The clergyman should know how you could appease them and ask them for a favour. If the fairies like you enough, they
Despite getting pulled into a vortex out of the blue, Zen held onto the golden leaf tightly as he screamed. Thankfully, he wasn’t on the party voice call with anyone, or his party members would have logged in immediately to rescue him.By the time Zen overcame his initial shock, he was already in a different dimension. The dimension was a unique dungeon that defied the laws of maps and navigation, a realm of mystery and danger.Getting off the dirt, Zen looked around to see if there were any monsters or NPCs he should deal with immediately. Trees and plant life resembled a regular forest everywhere he could see, if not for their vibrant pink and blue hues. Although Zen was used to seeing weird forms of dysmorphia as a gamer, this dungeon brought extreme proportions to a whole new level. It couldn’t even compare with Gloomie Shroomie’s overly large mushroom cap dress. The size of that seven-pointed leaf was big enough to act as Zen’s blanket. However
"Run faster! Run faster! These legs are not mine!"What a lie. If only these words were true. Zen could feel his lungs burning and blamed the previous owner of this body for not exercising more. If they did, his flawless plan wouldn't have turned against him.Something whistled past his head, and Zen ducked narrowly. The forest was realistic... too realistic for a VR game. Why did they have to replicate even the physical capabilities of the player?"If this is truly a game, I should be able to use some cheat abilities. These lungs are not mine. These legs are not mine. Even if I can't dodge everything, I can still survive by taking damage in non-critical areas! GAH!"Just as he said it, a bullet embedded itself into his left shoulder from the back. The pain was nothing like Zen remembered. The last time he got shot, he died.With a yell born from his last burst of courage, Zen followed the increasing sound of roaring water. This was it! He was near
It was just another dull day at his job. As a civilian with no kin and no government to care for people like him, civilian #3207 got used to all the trashy things that life threw him. He worked at a restaurant as a cook and fed people on an empty stomach. The restaurant didn't pay him very well, but it helped him cover the rental of his shitty apartment in the shadier part of the town.It wasn't uncommon to see a body or two lying around somewhere in the alley. The residents here knew better than to meddle in the affairs of the underworld. If they lived in a claimed territory, the easiest thing to do was send a report to the protecting family and wash their hands off the case.Today, it was colder than usual. Winter was arriving, and civilian #3207 sighed. The grey skies mirrored his mood very well. As usual, the customers were being difficult. How could there be roaches in soup? Someone must have put it in deliberately as an excuse to start a fight. However, because o
Unfair. This was too unfair! What did he ever do to deserve such a death? All civilian #3207 wanted was to live a meaningful life. He always tried to do the right thing even if the world continued to wrong him. He always believed that if one person persists with the act of kindness, eventually someone else will be touched by the act and pass it on. All it took was a spark to light the forest ablaze, or so he thought.Drifting through time and space for an unknown amount of time, civilian #3207 wondered what he would do now that he was dead. There were no more customers to serve, no more bills to pay. No more starving nights, no more living in fear. No more worrying about paying his bills or if his landlord was going to evict him.For the first time in his busy life, civilian #3207 was bored. There was absolutely nothing to do in the afterlife.“Civilians are humans too! Why does God favour the mafia over civilians? What have I done wrong? This death
Celine, no, God didn’t have to kick him twice! The first time, there was no pain. The second time, it hurt like crazy. Shouldn’t God be a little more caring about his soul before sending it back to Earth?“You’re finally here!” a young voice greeted, and civilian #3207 turned around. The child that he saw earlier in the milky way! What was he doing here?If civilian #3207 heard himself, he would definitely blame God for that kick. Of course, the kid would be here! They were twin souls. God already said that this child’s ability was weak, and he was here to assist his twin soul brother to succeed as the next Godfather. Naturally, civilian #3207 would never pass up the chance to become someone capable of improving lives!In-person, Zen Taro looked no older than fifteen and was on the shorter side. He was scrawny, had fluffy chestnut brown hair and didn’t look like a young master of a mafia family. His warm brown eyes