HC: Pacifist | Ch. 267 - Ferry (Patreon)

Roth wanted to ask Mel this question the most. Even though Drake and Sarg were very mature, wise men, Mel had something they didn’t. She was in the top 100 and knew how hard it would be to reach that level. She was also a member of the Krakens and knew how much help a powerful guild could be.

“I don't know, Roth. Ogre himself is the only one from their guild in the top 10. How can they promise you to do something that only their guild leader has achieved? Just so you know, BlueFire is only in 21st place.” Her frown didn’t bode well for him. 

“I saw that your name is in the top 100. You’re in 43rd place.”

She nodded.

“Hasn’t your guild helped you get that far?”

“Definitely!” She said promptly. “They get me statboosters, help me finish quests, tell me about whatever title they come across. It has helped me. But no matter how much they help me, I’m stuck at 43rd.”

Roth felt his stomach sink. “Do you think I can do it? Can I reach the top 10?”

“It isn’t easy, Roth. Despite trying hard, I haven’t climbed in the ranks for a long time. No matter how hard I try or how much the Krakens help, my competitors are also progressing, and I can’t close the gap. Reaching the top 10 is beyond me. Besides, you’ve only started playing recently. Many players have two years of a headstart over you.”

Roth looked down, defeated. Maybe his situation was hopeless. He had no choice but to leave his fate in the hands of programmers. He had hoped Mel would validate his dream of reaching the top 10 and be a free man again. Instead, his hopes were shattered.

“Hey,” she said softly. “You didn’t let me finish. What level are you?”

“41.”

“She blinked a few times. “D-did you say 41?”

“Yes.”

She smiled. “See? No ordinary player could do that. In just a few months, you’ve done what it took other players over a year to achieve. You’ve also single-handedly influenced the best players in the game to hunt Loki down. You’re extraordinary, Roth. You’re special. You can do it.”

“You really think so?”

“I do. I know you can!”

 Something about Mel’s smile cleared off the dark cloud abating over him. Roth perked up a little. “Thanks, Mel! I appreciate it.”

“However, if you want to get there, I think you have to negotiate some of the conditions in the contract with BlueFire. Here’s what I recommend…”

*

Travis hit the surface of the murky swamp waters with his spear, frustrated. It was the tenth red frog he hunted, which didn't drop him a [Poisonous Bladder]. At this rate, it would still take him half a day to become a lizardman.

When he saw MountainTop in the world championships, he knew he had to have the same race as him. The way he used his tail as if it were a third arm to outmaneuver his opponents left a deep impression on Travis. 

He never expected that this quest would take so long. He just wanted to become a lizardman already. Just as he was about to seek out another red frog, he got a message from his good friend Willis. 

“Hey Travis, what's up?”

“I'm trying to finish the quest to become a lizardman. What about you?”

“I'm about to reset my account.”

“Why? Haven’t you started playing like two days ago?” Travis frowned. His friend didn’t even have a class yet! Why was he talking about starting over?

“Haven’t you heard?”

“What?” Travis said, blinking his eyes.

“You can start new accounts as a lizardman.”

“When did that happen?!” He was sure that option wasn’t there before. Why did the developers have to reveal this piece of information only now?

“It’s very recent. There’s been a game patch, and everyone is going crazy about it. I was thinking of resetting my account to become a lizardman. It's not like I have much to lose. I've only been playing for two days, anyway.”

“Any disadvantage to starting the game right away with the race?” 

“Au contraire, my friend. The sooner you start, the easier it is to accumulate reputation with the lizardmen, and unlock cool quest lines…  I guess.”

From how his friend spoke, he was probably making stuff up to convince him to join him. He didn’t mind it, though. He was hooked when he said he could become a lizardman immediately.

“Okay, I'm going to reset my account. Oh man, this is so exciting.” 

“I know. Can't wait.”

Travis opened the game’s menu, looked for the options to reset his account, and deleted his avatar. It was time to begin the game as a mighty lizardman!

*

“How does he do it?!” Loki screamed in frustration, throwing skills at the wall. He had known that Roth was up to something when he started collecting deals with the different lizard factions. But who would have known that those lizards could be combined into one single faction? Moreover, he had to have gained something from getting the lizardman race on the opening menu. 

As the previous Hive King, Loki knew from experience how powerful the bonuses from having others join a race after you've triggered some kind of event were. That's what had made him rich, and that was how he funded the whole campaign for O’Shaughnessy. 

Just what had the Slayer unlocked? If Loki had done better ruling over the parasitoids, could that race also have been added to the opening menu? The thought of the Slayer making him fail at something while he succeeded on his own made him sick. 

And just how had the Slayer escaped his troop of assassins? Loki had seen him use stealth before. He had probably improved his items, making him much harder to detect. At this point, Loki was feeling tempted to try to buy out the Ogre guild and get Roth. 

It was beyond him, though. The amount of money needed to buy the Ogres was more than even he had. They were bound to keep crossing paths. He would make sure he made him pay for all the pain he'd put him through later. 

The other guilds were catching on to his movements in the capital. He had no time to waste with the Slayer. He had to get his hands on the prime real estate of the game and use that as a springboard to make Pegasus the most powerful guild in AstroTerra. 

*

BlueFire ran his hand through his lush, digital hair as he read the report from the VIP union members. 

“That aggravating brat,” he said through clenched teeth. Just when one thought he’d seen Roth do everything, here he was, bringing about such a major change to the game. Adding a race to the starting menu was unprecedented in the game's history. 

This change didn't harm him in any way. But suddenly, he had to relocate the guild's resources and deploy whatever team was available to find out how they could trigger the same effect for other races. There had to be something to gain from doing this. 

Why wasn't Roth answering his messages and calls? He had been nothing but patient with him, but he kept being given the cold shoulder. Why hadn’t Roth signed the contract already? It was a good deal! Had Roth been working for the Ogres already, BlueFire could instantly know what brought about this change in the game. But he still couldn't unveil Roth's secrets because he kept playing hard to get. 

Taking a deep breath, he opened another report. There were major movements in the capital’s universities. 

“Just what’s your endgame, Loki? What are you trying to pull?”

*

“And you think we can trust her?” the sergeant asked with a raised brow.

“I think so. Her advice was pretty good.”

“Right…” The sergeant grinned wolfishly, scratching his chin. “Is she pretty?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You didn’t answer,” the sergeant teased. Roth bit his lip. The old geezer. Why was he messing up with him like this? The old man assumed a more stoic posture, signaling he was done joking. “Alright. My advice is for you to sleep on it, just in case. Since BlueFire didn’t give you a deadline, you can get back to him later.”

“Thanks, Sarg. How have you been, by the way?” Roth said, trying to steer the conversation toward what he really wanted to discuss.

“I have to say that this Union thing has been surprisingly fun. When we first joined the game, we were all about hunting. But I’ve had enough fighting for many lifetimes. Crafting is much more relaxing. Now, spill it.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“You calling me instead of Drake… You think I don’t know what you’re up to? Come on. Ask away.”

Roth gulped drily. “Is there anything going on between my mom and Drake?”

“Have you asked your mom?”

“No! She’ll kill me if I do.”

“And what do you think she’ll do to me if I talk to you about her love life?”

Roth eyed him suspiciously. “You didn’t answer me, sarg!”

“I don’t have to!”

“Is there anything going on between you and my mom?” Roth had assumed that Drake was the one after his mom, but seeing how dodgy the sergeant sounded, he was forced to revisit his opinion.

“You have to learn some manners! Call me once you know how to talk to your elders.”

“Don’t you dare hang up on me, sarg!”

“Bah!”

The sergeant ended the call. Roth fumed for a few seconds at the sergeant’s antics, but after a few seconds his jaw relaxed, and before he noticed, he was laughing aloud. The sergeant just looked too funny when he was flustered. Regardless, he was kind of right. If there really was something going on with his mom and Drake or Sarg, so be it. It was her life.

He focused on the beautiful, mysterious landscape around him. There was something unexpectedly relaxing about the swamps. When Roth arrived here and was forced to move around in the murky sludge, receiving a collection of debuffs from different diseases and infections, he instantly disliked the place. 

However, now that he was being ferried by one of the sea lizardmen, he could just focus on the buzzing of the wings of the flying dragonflies, the croaking of the frogs, and the call of the birds nesting in the swamps. There was a dark charm to this place. Here, the sky seemed stuck in permanent twilight, making the lighting a little easier on his eyes. 

“Are we far from our destination?” he asked the ferryman. 

The lizardman moved his bulging muscles to get the long stick through the thick sludge and propel the boat a little forward. “Almost there,” he said in a dragged, slurred tone. Roth sighed. Regardless of how many times he asked, the ferryman didn't give him any other response. Maybe Roth felt more relaxed not because of the surrounding nature but due to the lizardman’s placid mood. 

The moment he found that he could hire a ferry lizardman to take him anywhere he wanted in the swamps, he didn’t hesitate to pay the golden coin required. He was swimming in money right now. After activating the patch, he had already received over a thousand gold. If this continued, he could just retire while sightseeing around AstroTerra, as Mel had done with her family. 

As he thought about Mel, he smiled. He had certainly enjoyed talking to her earlier. She had been moved by genuine concern. He blushed as he thought of the sergeant’s jokes. He had to admit: Mel was pretty.

Even though at first he had just assumed that all top guilders were a group of leeches, like the ones feeding on the muscles of his ferryman, maybe he had to revisit his opinion. After all, ColdHand had volunteered to help him break free of his booby-trapped capsule. Mel had given him excellent hints regarding his contract. 

Even BlueFire, with whom he locks horns now and then, had agreed to unreasonable conditions and kept coming back to him to negotiate. He liked to believe that there was some kindness inside the Ogres’ general's heart. 

“Are we there yet?” Roth asked again. He wanted to finish this quest before the cooldown for the [Swamp Orb] refreshed. 

“We're here,” the ferryman said slowly. “Welcome to the Striped Lake.” 

Ch. 266 - Hidden Trap

INDEX

Ch. 268 - Striped Lake