CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Prelude to the Hero Hunt

The cleaver glinted with a murderous light as moisture condensed along the smooth edge of its blade. With a rough stroke, the blade fell down, cleanly separating the head from the body in one deft stroke.

*Chop*

Liquid spurted from the open wound as Perri proceeded to rinse the head under a clear stream of running water. Rinden himself was stiff lipped and cold while making fine lacerations across the skin of his victim.

Yes, they were just cooking dinner.

To continuously play a game for over twelve hours in one sitting was not what one could call healthy behavior. Although Perri had been initially resistant, the moment Pale made the suggestion to take a break, she had wholeheartedly agreed. Now, after fighting armies of muppet monsters, backstabbing a friend and partaking in an alleyway organ transplant, the two siblings were facing their newest challenge yet.

Cooking.

The menu? Roasted Pork Belly with Vegetables.

“That was unfortunate,” Rinden sighed.

"That was unfortunate," Rinden sighed. He had applied a generous amount of salt and pepper, working the seasoning into the slab of meat with a firm massage. To his side was a hot tray filled with fennel, garlic, cardamom and a variety of other spices that were sizzling under low heat.

Perri had a sour look on her face, but as she had already done most of her complaining earlier. She seemed to be fully focused on the carrots, as her knife worked up and down, making uneven rondelle cuts. When she spoke, there was no hint of the sullen-ness she felt before, "Indeed. Don’t worry. You will pay for your betrayal in time. But for now, let’s just enjoy the quality time we’re spending together.

Rinden snorted, amused by his sister's reservedness. Truth be told, he was certain he’d be dodging flying cutlery by now, but rather then the mess Perri was making with the vegetables, everything was proceeding smoothly. It was a nice change of pace. After all, there was only so much fighting and running one could take in at a time.

This ended up to be far more enjoyable than ordering takeout and lounging around all day. As they had already stocked the fridge earlier, they had a massive amount of food to choose from, but no clue what to do with it.

"What would you call the last few days then?" Pale mused. If one counted the virtual world, they more or less spent around 18 hours a day together.

"Unrestricted Douchebaggery. I like wholesome moments sometimes too you know." Perri said quietly.

Seeing her like this, Rinden was reminded of the shy timid girl from their early childhood and had to restraint herself from hugging her. If only because she was still holding onto a recently sharpened cleaver.

He didn't even bother to make a jab at her as the two of them savored their work in blessed silence.

The rest of the preparations passed by quickly. After Rinden judged that the pork was suitably browned, he slid it into the preheated oven for a long, slow roast.

After dumping the dirty cookware into the dishwasher, Rinden reached for the remote, swapping the entertainment channels while Perri was busy fiddling around with the rice cooker.

Checking over various gaming channels, he decided to settle on an amateur streaming talk show, called 'Looking Elsewhere.'

It seemed to be the first 'news' channel that actually pertained to the game, which featured a sunny young host, Mindy Mails. Supposedly, from the day of launch, she had dedicated a portion of her day to broadcast a plethora of news and tips that many players and normies found highly interesting. Coupled with her well thought out news sequences, her viewership skyrocketed over the past few days, with tens of thousands tuning in at this very moment.

[Heyo! It’s me Mindy! Reporting to you life from the Holy City, Baracus!]

A smiling pixie-like girl appeared on the screen. From the looks of things, she was reporting live while in game.

"That smile is so fake," Perri commented dryly. Having finished her part of the work, she sprawled on the leather couch, feeling rather irritated at the video display.

"They're all like that. Just watch." Rinden shushed her as he retrieved a couple yogurt drinks from the fridge. Regardless of the fakeness, the amount of information about the Elseworlds was pitiful, and seeing as how their next destination was near the White city, anything information would be helpful.

[Top on our list today is a new standard quest, discovered by Bojack09. Pet lovers everywhere, rejoice! Because now, it is possible to capture one of those adorable baby monsters for your own!

That’s right! I know many of you may have already tried to keep adorable baby wolves or raccoons to snuggle with, but they would always run off if given the chance. Even worse is that if you end up forming a bond with one of them, you can't even log off, else they'd disappear by the time you come back on.

But have no fear players! Thanks to Bojack, obtaining the fuzzies will no longer be a dream! Now here's how he did it...]

"Hey Bro, can you throw me a popsicle?"

"Sure, what flavor?"

"Melon, please." A green ice cream packet fell with a plop on Roari's side as she settled right down to listen to some boring exposition.

Rinden, however, was making mental notes on what might be useful for them. As the broadcast continued, however, he began to share some of Roari's distaste for the broadcaster, as she kept on adding needless fluff to her 'reports' instead of getting straight to the point.

As the broadcast neared the end, numerous players were also interviewed. After judging from their equipment, it seemed that everyone had it quite rough, as most were still wearing rags while the average level was around 10. Many of them complained about the tedious physical labor at the beginning and warned future players of what they would be in for.

Rinden frowned. He truly did wonder what was the point of doing physical labor at the start of the game. Perhaps it had some form of hidden meaning? Or maybe the devs were just assholes. Either way, he quickly put it out of his mind as the interviews continued.

Just before the line of interviewees ended, one last player joined Mindy Mails on the screen. Upon seeing him, Perri inadvertently inhaled saliva up her nose, resulting in a coughing fit.

While Rinden was patting her back tenderly, 'he' appeared.

[And last, but certainly not least. We have a guest speaker for our broadcast. Coming in at a staggering level 17, is the spirit striker, Spicy Dragon!]

"The fuck is he doing there!" Roari who regained function of her lungs felt quite aggrieved. Not only was the White City days travel away from Torva, but somehow he had also surpassed them in level. Them! Who cheated and received the aid of the Dawn bus.

[Thank you, Mindy. Glad to come on here, though feel free to call me Spicy D.]

[Alright, Spicy...D.] She looked at him coquettishly, which wound up sending waves of nausea through the Storm siblings. [We have reports that the highest level after these few days was at most 15, but you have clearly exceeded that. What's your secret?]

[Well Mindy, if I might brag a little, it is all pure skill.]

[Skill?!]

[Yes. So long as you have full control over your movements, any sufficiently skilled person can easily mitigate the damage taken from physical attacks. As the monsters at this stage in the game have rather basic movements, it is extremely easy to fight monsters that exceed my level, which bolsters my leveling speed greatly. Not to mention, I have some small background in martial arts, thus I can generally determine the weak points of monsters after fighting them for a while, which also improves my efficiency.]

"Isn't he just telling people to get good?" Roari complained. None of this would be applicable to the average player, but that didn't stop Mindy Mails' eyes from shining at Spicy Dragon's every word.

[Wow. Both literally and figuratively, you are truly on another level compared to the rest of us. But what would you do against creatures that use magic or perhaps giant monsters? I don't suppose any sort of fighting experience can prepare you for that.]

[No, but right now such foes aren't very common. When it comes down to it, I will find some companions that will make up for my deficiencies. After all, you cannot expect any one man to be perfect.]

[Ah, so you definitely won't go the solo route then?]

[No, I will find a party in time. Perhaps you might be interested?]

[Oh you...]

Off to the side, Roari was making gagging noises.

They continued on with their disgusting banter for a while, leaving Rinden slightly miffed. He had to start combing Perri's hair as well if only to keep her still so she wouldn't throw the remote at the video display.

"Sis?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna go murderize him?"

"Yeah."

[That actually leads to our final topic for the day. Spicy D. If you're like to continue taking part.]

[It would be my pleasure.]

[So as everyone has been busy discovering the mechanics of this world, it seems there have been rumors that there are already players in this game, who started way before the launch date.]

From those few words, Rinden's ears perked up, his interest piqued. From the commentary, it appeared that there were quite a few famous gamers and other elites who had the opportunity to beta-test the game a few months prior. That in itself would have been a massive advantage over regular players, but in addition to that, their characters were not reset, thus they maintained months worth of progress.

Already there were massive outcries at the lack of fairness after one particular player was caught showing off in a starting village. While Arego Ltd. had not released any official statements regarding the matter, forums were already blowing up, criticizing the scumbaggish attitude of the company that appeared not even three days after release.

[Personally, I feel this had been a horrible move by Arego industries, as it shows clear favoritism to a specific subgroup of players. While it's unclear just how wide the gap is between them and the average user, it is easy to predict that the entire endgame will be dominated by them. What are your thoughts Spicy?]

The blonde pretty boy paused thoughtfully, but only shrugged his shoulders.

[While Arego might have lost some of their consumers trust with such a move, what can we as players do about it? Boycott this game? Please. That said, I am not advocating their actions. And while some players may currently have an advantage, I do not believe that a few extra months would be as great a chasm as you believe it to be.]

[Oh? And why is that?] The pixie-ish girl was panting, having gone on a long rant about the unfairness of it all. While it had seemed childish, her current viewers increased, voicing their assent in the channel chatroom.

[Because we are here.] Spicy Dragon said warmly as he gestured widely with his arms. [Just how many people live in this world? How many people have logged on at launch day alone? Are you suggesting that a few rising stars would not rise up from within the masses? Or that we would all just sit idly by while the more powerful players feast on their spoils? We would not. We will claw our way to the top, if only because we can't stand to see others rise above us. Naturally, it'll be hard, but that's what makes it fun.]

Perri and Rinden were shocked. Only he could have such the arrogance and gall to imply that a few months of playtime were nothing in the face of a few talented individuals. Such an effect was not lost on Mindy Mails either, as her expression naturally softened, looking thoughtful at his statement.

[Isn't that still unfair to the majority of beginners though? As they would never be able to breach such a gap, what do you have to say to them?]

"Git Gud," Perri answered. Much to her disappointment, Spicy Dragon did not answer in such a fashion.

[Take opportunity whenever you can find it. I’m sure that with enough persistence, you’ll be able to find a way.]

As Mindy Mails’ eyes sparkled, the watchers of her channel all cocked their heads contemplatively. Opportunity? What opportunity?

However unbeknown to all of them, in a land far away, developments were happening that would cause the entire Elseworlds to tremble.

In a grey deserted wasteland, a thick and heavy fog had fallen, clouding everything in sight. The land seemed eerily still, which contrasted with the sounds of metal clashing and men screaming which resounded in the distance. Even as a man came stumbling out of the fog, his chest was heaving as he crumpled to his knees, exhausted.

It was a lanky asian man, with a distinctive razor faded pompadour. While wearing a heavily battered half plate, his massive two handed great sword was sent stabbing deep into the earth.

With labored breaths, the swordsman tried to gulp down as much air as he could handle, but he ended up hacking as the humid fog pervade his lungs as well. As if by design, the fog began to thin at that moment, revealing the countless corpses strewn about on the ground. Many of whom were wearing rags or garbed in near identical leather armor.

While appraising such a scene, the man wearily pushed himself back onto his feet. There was still danger lurking in the shadows, and this was certainly no time to be resting.

His name was Koro, which roughly translates into Braised Meat. He was a Lv72 Slayer and was a contender for one of the strongest players in the Chinese Servers.

His muscles tensed as another figure emerged from the shadows. However, they quickly relaxed again as he recognized the cloaked elf who was staggering haphazardly towards him.

“Where’s Teia?” His heart lurched, fearing the worst. Yet he had to ask anyways.

“Dead.” The cloaked elf character replied grimly. “She got separated from us in the rush. Fat Chicken and Fat Duck tried to save her, but they never came back.”

“So its just us then?”

“Looks that way.”

Koro gritted his teeth. They had only returned to town a few hours prior to resupply. How had they not realized they were being followed. Just what the hell happened?

“We should get out of her while we can. At least we can still save ourselves.”

“And let those bastards have their way?” Koro was indignant. His real name was Shi Ye Cang. Having been born in the slums of Shanghai, he had to fight tooth and nail to carve a decent life for himself in their cruel, unjust world. When he heard about the new opportunity that was Elseworlds, he had leaped straight into the dragon's breath, pushing past the boundaries time and time again.

Never once in his life had he yielded. Whether to the bureaucratic thugs nor the ridiculously arrogant pro gamers who tried to bar his way to the professional scene. He had pounded them all to dust beneath his feet. To retreat against a few nobodies? He would rather die!

“Please. Be reasonable. If you die, then the loss itself would give the assholes from Taipei time to catch up to us. If we aren’t careful, they might even overtake us.”

Koro grimaced. If he had it his way, he would go on a rampage, murdering to his last. However, if he were to die, then it would become a massive loss. Although the penalties in this game didn't seem harsh at first, but as you progressed, you stood to lose more and more with each death.

At his level, not only would he lose a couple pieces of equipment which held tremendous value, but he would also lose all his experience accrued in the past week in addition to a one-day revival penalty. The damage alone would take them days to recover from if not weeks, and he was sure that his competitors would not be idle.

Fine, he decided. He would not be that stubborn, but neither would he let this insult go. Once his teammates respawned, they would form a subjugation squad against these foes. They will rue the day, RUE THE DAY, they ever chose to cross him.

“Fine, I'll cut us a way out, afterwards, we can..-- GET DOWN!" Koro flinched as a whistling sound pierced through the air. Immediately whirling his greatsword, he unleashed a blast of wind which scattered aside a volley of arrows that had threatened to skewer him like a porcupine.

Unfortunately, the elven archer at his side was not to lucky.

“Breaking Wind!”

Caught unprepared, his companions body was completely riddled with arrows. Although such damage shouldn’t be enough to incapacitate him, his friend still collapsed to the ground. Only the faint twitching of limbs showed that he was still alive. The arrowheads must have been coated with a minor paralyzing ointment, which locked Breaking Wind in place. Normally such things were relatively harmless, but the sheer volume of arrows continuously stacked their effects together until the poor elf could move no longer.

It was then, the perpetrators chose to reveal themselves, as a ring of over a hundred users encircled them from the mist. At the forefront of the group was a smiling boyish-looking man with chubby cheeks and long flowing hair. The white robes he wore were patched and dirty, and he carried a goose feather fan which was missing numerous feathers.

He clasped his hands together and opened his mouth, letting out a pleasant gentle laugh.

“Ye Cang. It is an honor.”

Koro’s expression turned cold. Already the mastermind appears? From the way he knew his name, was this silk pants perhaps someone who he offended in the past?

“No answer? Well, I suppose we could have met under more relaxed circumstances, but no matter. I'll cut to the chase. We are disappointed in you. Fortunately, we are more than willing to forgive you.”

'What the hell was he talking about?'

Koro's eyes bugged out. He slowly started inching towards his incapacitated friend, but the slow creak of a drawn bowstring stopped him. To the side, he eyed a leering archer, whose arrow was pointed straight at the immobile elf.

“Fuck Off.” Koro was in no mood for this farce. Whatever this destitute silk pants had in store for him, he would not dance to his tune.

“Now, Now. I’m trying to be civil here.”

With a casual snap of his fingers, one of the other users hurled a rusty iron spear which stuck into the back of Breaking Wind. The paralysis had only barely worn off, giving him the ability to howl in pain while Koro's eyes bulged in outrage.

“Xiao Di!” Koro cried out. The two of them had been together since his time in the ghettos and were close enough to be actual brothers. Although this was merely the virtual world, the sight of him being abused in such a way caused his blood to boil over.

“Now where were we....” The silk pants drawled, relishing Koro's anger. “Ah yes. I believe you were about to sincerely offer to surrender.”

“Fuck Off!”

“Tut. How rude. You’d think that one could be more humble in front of others, especially after obtaining certain unfair advantages. I mean, we’re all brothers here. Naturally, you should be inclined to share a little?”

Koro snarled but refrained from lashing out. He had seen this routine before. They were not yet attacking which suggested they weren't on some vendetta against the ranking players, but that didn't mean they planned on letting him off. Like the underground gangs, they were probably hoping to strip him clean of anything he’s got.

He glanced at Breaking Wind who was on the ground groaning. It seemed the paralysis would fully wear off soon. Until then…

“What do you want?”

“An apology! As well as a payment of one gold coin for your lives”

“What?!”

Koro's eyes bulged. Were their lives so cheap? No...Would all this effort really warrant a mere one gold? His hand dropped to summon his journal, but then he stopped. He eyed the silk pants suspiciously.

Seeing his stare, the man coughed. “Did I say one gold? My apologies I mean one gold for each of everyone here, including those who you've slain. After that, you may leave in peace. After all, I would not wish to offend a superstar level existence like yourself.”

'Shameless!' Koro felt sick to his stomach. There were easily a thousand players, a thousand more if they counted the slain. If he were to pay, he would essentially be exhausting half his savings. Actually, what was more surprising was where all these people came from in the first place. The game had barely been out for a few days, yet there were already groups mobilizing at such a scale?

“Hesitating? Well then.” He motioned to a user who had somehow crept up onto Breaking Wind, who proceeded to twist the embedded spear deeper into his sternum. The extra pressure essentially pinned him to the ground, with no recourse for escaping.

“Stop! Stop! I'll pay!” Koro gnashed his teeth, but at the very least he wouldn't allow his friend to suffer anymore. Although it was just a game, that did not mean they were completely devoid of sensation. The amount of pain one could receive was severely limited, but it still hurt. And like everything else in this game, the pain would only get worse as one continuously leveled.

“You will? Good. That'll be about 2625 gold, but I'll do you a favor and round it down to twenty-five hundred gold pieces”

Koro let out a brief gasp. That was far more than he had anticipated. Of course, it was still manageable, but such a loss would severely hinder his future goals.

|Fine. I'll pay the money”

“Good, and after your friend pays his fare as well, you may both leave.”

Koro choked. Wasn't it supposed to be a single lump sum payment? While they had done well for themselves these past few months, they still only had about 5k between them. Not to mention, gold was infinitely useful. Would losing that amount really justify not losing a level and a couple pieces of gear? Not to mention, there were no assurances that the silk pants would just kill them both anyways, thus turning the current situation into a disaster. Wouldn't he just be a fool if he agreed to such unfair terms?

“Don't think you can bully me like this. What guarantees that you won't stab us in the back after receiving the money?”

“Why my incredibly trustworthy face of course. And it's not like you have a choice. You can either come out on trust for the chance to live, or die a dog's death.” The man's face seemed reminiscent of a snake as he grinned from ear to ear.

'Only a fool would trust such a face' Koro thought grimly. In all honesty, he would rather die swinging than die cheated, but there was one thing holding him back.

“You can have the money. Let my Xiao Di live. I will stay in his place.” Koro growled.

“Ye Cang, don't.” Breaking Wind said weakly, but his compliance was a nonfactor.

Due to Koro's innate regeneration, he had enough health leftover to at least smash in the face of the smiling silk pants. After he died, perhaps the remaining users would lack the coordination to give chase after he cuts a path to freedom.

The leader thought for a moment.

“Very well. I do so enjoy such displays of brotherhood.” He said lazily. “Drag the elf to a safe zone”

Immediately, Breaking Wind was hoisted up by his armpits, as a couple of blank-faced players started to slowly drag him away. Koro could only allow this to happen as he locked gazes with the leader. Breaking Wind should be freed from the paralysis by now. Once he is pulled away from the bulk of the group, he was sure that he'd be able to handle the two newbies while he made a charge for the leader.

“No. Don't die for me! Koro!” Breaking Wind screamed, but all the parties around ignored him.

The leader, however, didn't. He turned to where the elf was being dragged away and called out.

“You should respect his choice. After all, he’s willing to die like a man.”

“I'll pay! I'll pay! Don't hurt him!” Although the paralysis had worn off, Breaking Wind did not make any motions to flee once he was released. Instead, he pulled out a large sack of coin from his adventurer's journal, hurling it over to them before Koro could so much as utter another word.

'Xiao Di. You idiot!' Koro blanched as his friend was forced into the dirt again. Sharpened spear points were aimed at his prone body, while everyone present watched Koro's next move.

“So Master Shi. It is your turn now.”

Koro grit his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. The price had already been paid. Although he knew it was most likely a trap, he still removed a coin pouch from his inventory, tossing it to the ground before them.

“Take it!” He spat. In the worst case scenario, he would just have to murder them all.

“Confirm the amount.” Another nameless user hurried forward to collect the money.

A knot formed on Koro's temple as he had to repress cleaving the pathetic coward in two. For now, he would just commit the faces of everyone present to memory. He would have his revenge, and soon.

“Understand this. I won't forget this. No matter what rock you hide under, no matter what army you put in my way, I will find you.” Koro understood that it was probably the worst time to spout out threats, but his rage had weakened his inhibitions. The leader however only beckoned with his fingers in response.

“I would not expect you to. And neither shall I hide from you, be it in person or by name. I am Romlin. I hope you burn it into your memory because that...is the name of the man who bested you.”

The two couriers eventually confirmed that the amount was indeed correct, which brought a wide smile to the leaders face.

“Are we free to go?”

“Of course,” Romlin agreed. “I promised didn't I?”

Grimacing, Koro started walking over to his fallen friend, but he didn't walk two steps when he was met by the cold stares of everyone present. Immediately sensing danger, he began to run to Breaking Wind. The users who held spears to his back only leered at him, as with several swift, repeated thrusts, his best friend was turned into a mass of unfeeling grey flesh.

Howling in outrage, Koro turned to Romlin who watched the proceedings smugly.

“You filth! I thought we had a deal!”

“We did, I promised that you would be allowed to leave. From what I see, your friend is gone now, isn't he?”

“Alive?”

“He will be...in twenty four hours.”

Koro's eyes turned bloodshot. He didn’t know if he should curse the bastard, or himself for being so stupid. He knew it this entire time, but he still went along with such a basic scheme.

He would not go down easy, however. While Breaking Wind had been on the verge of death, he had already recovered to his peak form. If he could not slay the lot of them, at least he would pulverize the silk pants leader into oblivion.

Roaring, he activated a hasting skill on his legs, bulldozing past users as he charged with the fury of nine hells.

Romlin merely yawned as he casually turned away.,

“Take him.”

Koro's eyes widened as a massive stream of blue light came pouring out of the fog.

'Magic?! But I never saw any mages?'

To receive magic this early in the game could only be due to a stroke of good fortune. Understanding their value, Romlin had set all his spellcasters to the side, to act as a final trump card should things go sour. From the looks of things, even at Koro's level, he still did not have many items that provide good magic resistance, thus he received the full brunt of the damage.

“What is this?!” He roared, as ice had partially formed all over his limbs. He could instantly feel his movement slowing as wave after wave of blue splashed against his body.

Finally, ice had encased his limbs entirely, as the surrounding users no longer deigned to fight him, merely watching coldly as the gentle cold magics slowly chipped away at his life.

From this treatment, it was clear this was no longer a fight, but a slow, humiliating execution. He felt deeply wronged in his heart, but the spectators didn't jeer. They didn't even comment. All of them just watched silently while the final streams of blue finished turning him into a living snowman.

'Don't look at me!' He thought enraged, but even that anger was giving way to despair. He was not some spectacle for their entertainment. “I won't be humiliated like this! I will not!—”

His voice was finally silenced as a sheet of ice covered the outside of his mouth.

Romlin swaggered up to the frozen humansicle, and wrapped the ice gently with his knuckled. Upon impact, thick cricks began to spread all along the statue, before eventually crumbling into a pile of icy shards.

“Big fan.” He murmured coldly.

Atop the ice, laid an ornate metal helmet in addition to Koro's exquisitely engraved steel great sword. Romlin chose not to pick it up though, as the other spoils of war were quickly brought before him.

…

“I can't believe it worked...” A female player muttered quietly as she rested the remains of the other slain players before him. The others all nodded, many of which began breaking into excited conversation over what had just transpired.

Romlin was also of that mind as he let out a sigh of relief, before quickly replacing the look of smug arrogance on his face.

“MingXi. Gift a gold coin to all the survivors. When the deceased come back on, give them two. Everything else will be deposited into our private coffers until we can build a guild. He quickly ordered his attendant who made moves to do his bidding.

“Yessir”

“Sir. What of the video? Should we issue a copyright on the fight?”

“No. Review the recordings we have so far and send the best to Daika for editing. I want the entire world to see.”

“Isn't it a bit early for our debut? I don't think many others can replicate what we've done here today.”

“Its precisely because they won't be able to.” Romlin agreed, “But they will still try. By doing so, the progression of the early access players will be slowed, giving us time to catch up. Although few have recognized it yet, the path to supremacy in this game is already clear. All we need is some time and the entire Elseworlds will belong to us.”

Romlin looked towards the survivors who were all looking at him, steadfast and at attention. Seeing the countless players all looking to him as their leader left him momentarily breathless. Pride welled up in his chest as he beheld the sheer quantity of his people. His people.

With a throaty laugh, he threw back his head and roared.

“Let’s have a drink!”

“HOO-AH!”

The cheers were thunderous. The hearts of those present were near bursting as the events sparking the first heroes purge came to a close.

It didn’t take long for the incident in China to spread all around the grapevine. As player after player watched the tyrannical scene of rankers being taken down like chickens, many couldn’t help but feel raging fire set alight within their hearts. Whether it was greed, passion, or hunger, many found themselves inspired by such an act.

After the initial video was released, the guild that managed such a feat was brought forth into the limelight. Their name: The Heaven’s Will.

Immediately fan clubs sprung up all around, and although the actions of the members were by no means heroic but were still rife with sacrifice and courage. Countless new threads on the main site about such an event popped up like mushrooms, all dedicated to forming groups for a new activity, 'ranker hunting'. Although many were apprehensive towards fighting such highly geared players, the video that played essentially showed rankers becoming the rough equivalent of gold dragons. Although powerful, they were filled with riches beyond compare.

Meanwhile, the Storm Siblings had only been notified of such an event while eating their miraculously non-shitty first attempt at dinner. Both of them had pitiful expressions on their faces.

Perri sniffed. "I don't see what was so special about that. We totally did it first."

Rinden only nodded silently. He was conflicted by the message sent with such a video but was unsure how to act upon it. The quiet tink of silverware continued as neither of them could seem to taste the food any longer. Their jaws worked mechanically while they're headed worked overtime.

Although the timing didn't seem right, Rinden understood that this was no longer the time for indecisiveness. Setting aside his knife and fork, he looked at Perri who had suddenly stopped playing with her food.

Their eyes met.

"...We should probably go find Dawn now."

"Yeah..."