The sun was slowly setting when I started to get annoyed by my own thoughts. That was when things changed.
Notification:
The first phase of the chain quest will last until 08:00 the next day.
Time until next phase: 13:41:08
The second phase will introduce four new: types of monsters:
Uncommon – 5x stronger than Common Kobold
Golden – 10x stronger than Uncommon Kobold
Elite – 5x stronger than Golden Kobold
Lord – 20x stronger than Elite Kobold
“Huh, so that’s why he couldn’t find any other monsters,” I whispered. “That’s not good.”
“Not good? This is insane!” Melina hissed. “You think old people or those kids will be able to take on something so much stronger?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t, and that’s why we need people, Melina. If we want to keep this neighborhood safe at least, then we’ll need people. Strong, reliable people.”
She let out a sigh and dropped against me, nestling herself in my arms. “You’re right. But stronger by so much? How the hell should we tackle those things when they appear?”
I sat there and put my arms around her chest. She pushed back and rubbed against me as I kissed the back of her head, but then caught myself and almost pushed her off. She didn’t protest and even remained there, nestling herself into my embrace. Alright, I wasn’t gonna say no to the best thing that had happened to me since being reincarnated.
“How late is it?”
“That’s not an answer, that’s a question. And it’s nearly seven in the evening. Shouldn’t they be here soon?”
I nodded. “They should, that’s why I’m asking. Once they’re here, whoever it is anyway, we’ll send them out in two-man teams to farm crystals until four in the morning. Once they’re back, I’m going to try to show them how to become stronger using the crystals they bring back.”
“Oh? That’s quite interesting.”
“I sure hope so.”
“Why do you hope so? Isn’t it what you did earlier?” She leaned to the left slightly and looked over her shoulder.
“It is, but I don’t know if it will work for everyone. And besides, I’ve seen a message regarding weapon proficiency. Did you?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I did.”
“Same. It’s good to know what we’re working with.”
I pulled up the proficiency window and checked the stats for myself.
Proficiencies:
Used slots: 6 out of 10
1. One-Handed Weapon – Level 1 – 0.0%
2. Two-Handed Weapon – Level 1 – 24.50%
3. Sword Fighting – Level 1 – 24.50%
4. Gladius – Level 1 – 0.0%: 5. Nodachi – Level 1 – 24.50%
6. Light Armor – Level 1 – 9.0%
REMOVE PROFICIENCY?
“I’ve got six out of ten. How many do you have?”
“Umm, five? I got both club, one-handed, two-handed, tetsubo, and light armor.”
“So you can use it with two hands? And you can wield two at once. At least that’s how I think it’s supposed to work,” I said, trying to understand this system. “The best part is we can have up to ten and even remove some we no longer need. Or so I hope.”
“You know, my head is starting to hurt. All of this is becoming too much, and I think most people haven’t even realized what the hell is going on yet. Stores are open. People walk about as if nothing’s wrong.”
Melina was right, people weren’t panicking enough, and I found that strange. Was it a false sense of safety about being able to kill the kobolds with ease?
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I murmured. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to the world, or even the city if things become worse, but the food is going to run out, then other necessities. We need to get our hands on things we can grow ourselves. Use balconies and the garden to grow some of our own food and get some smaller animals like chickens.”
“Hell no! I don’t want this to become a damn farm!”
“Well, if you can live without meat, that doesn’t mean all of us can.”
“Viktor! I’m no damn vegetarian! But I also don’t want this place to stink like shit!”
I thought for a while and leaned in to press my lips against hers. She placed her fingers on my chin and pushed me back slowly but didn’t say anything.
“How about we just grow some basic vegetables here and use Kihot’s mansion to set up a farm? It’s not far, and we can recruit more people if need be.”
Melina frowned and sat upright, then turned her body to fully face me. “Why the hell are you adamant about staying here? Why don’t we take the villa?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t need no luxury. All I need is here. This ambiance, you, and that tree in the front yard.”
“Heh, and a lot of meat and alcohol.”
“That too.” I laughed. “That too.”
The dome shimmered and made that faint crackling noise as someone passed through. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Mark standing there with his young wife as they each held two large bags in their hands and one on their backs.
“Hell yes,” I whispered but couldn’t hide the smirk from Melina.
“I guess you won this round.”
I winked at her once and then jumped over the balcony railing, only to land fifteen feet below with a cat’s grace.
Melina got up hurriedly and leaned over the railing to yell at me, “Idiot! You just scared me to death!”
I looked up and motioned for her to follow.
“Come on, I’ll catch you!”
The worst thing, she smirked and followed me. Shit, this woman didn’t have any trust issues, which was both good and bad.
I caught her in my arms, bending my knees slightly to compensate, but to my surprise, it felt as if she only weighed as much as a slightly larger feather.
“Now this could make for some interesting nights,” she whispered.
Her cheeks flushed red, but she didn’t seem to mind. She was openly fooling around with me. Hah, bring it on!
I put her down next to me, helped her straighten her dress, and led her to meet Mark and his wife.
“You made the right choice,” I said cheerfully as we stopped in front of them. “This is your wife?”
He nodded. “This is Sarah. We’ve been together for a very long time now. Childhood sweethearts.”
“Sarah, welcome to your new temporary home,” I said and took the bags from her hands. She didn’t seem as if they’d bothered her much, but still, it wouldn’t do to let a young lady carry two big bags by herself.
“You are Viktor and Melina?” she asked.
Her voice was slightly weaker than what I thought it would be. She was small and thin, but not so much that her collarbones stuck out or she looked like she was sick; no, she was just fit but also very curvy. Melina was as fit, but her body wasn’t all muscle. She had that perfect feminine body that was curvy where it mattered.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about, Mark. You’ve seen the messages? Both of you?”
They nodded.
“We have, and I don’t like it one bit. Did you see those numbers? Damn. That’s some nasty stuff right there, I tell you.”
“There’s a way to get strong pretty quickly, but we’ll have to work our asses off all night.”
His eyebrows rose slightly. “Oh? You’re ready to share some of that information you promised?”
“All in due time. All in due time. Now, since you two are first, you get to choose the first room. We’ll walk you up.”
“Yeah, please follow me,” Melina chimed in as she flashed them a broad smile. Sarah put her arm under Melina’s and led the way.
“Huh, seems she took a liking to your—what is Lady Melina to you? If it’s alright to ask?”
“She’s just someone I’m trying to, well, I don’t know. We know each other barely at all, but there are moments in life when you know that somet
hing is right. Have you ever felt like that?”
Mark nodded slowly. “I have. That moment for me was called Sarah.” He chuckled.
I started walking and he followed me as we talked. It was only then that I noticed another pack swung around his back.
“Exactly! It’s one of those things that you know are just right no matter what. It helps that she’s easygoing and seems to like me in turn.”
“Yeah, I can imagine, but tell me, aren’t you going to ask me about my previous boss?”
“Is that a baby?” I asked instead.
“Yeah, her name is Laney. Shit, I forgot to introduce you!” He laughed.
“Damn, and here I thought I’d lost it,” I joked and tapped him on the shoulder.
His tone changed slightly to more neutral as we walked into the building on the right and followed the girls up the stairs. Everything was made from wood and mirrored the main building, but slightly less lavish, if one could even call it that. It creaked slightly more than our part of the complex, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t be the one listening to the creaking.
“What a day, huh?”
I nodded and remembered what he’d just asked. “Sure is, and no, I’m not. That’s private, isn’t it? What you did with him and how you dealt with his health isn’t any of my business.”
“You sure are a strange one, Viktor. Or should I call you boss?”
“Call me Viktor. I don’t like the word boss, but there needs to be a clear distinction between who is at the top around others.”
Mark stayed quiet for what felt like an eternity but was barely several seconds.
“I’ve never met someone more intent on becoming the boss of… whatever but was as easygoing. I’m not sure what to think of you.”
“The reason for becoming the boss and getting power is different from what most people plan to do with it. I just want to protect, nothing else.”
The girls stopped ahead of us in the corridor on the first floor. There was only one door on the right side, which meant the room must be quite big, as it was easily ten paces from the wall.
“I recommended this room to Sarah. It’s on the first floor and is the most spacious. It’s also the only one with a sort of bathroom built inside, so it’s much larger because of that.”
“Whatever you two agree on is fine with me, Lady Melina,” Mark replied as he stood behind me.
“Go ahead.” I laughed as he stood there.
We couldn’t see anything where we stood anyway. He nodded and moved to stand at the door, right behind the girls. I followed and joined them. The room was indeed quite spacious but Spartan. A sofa, a coffee table, a kitchen table, three chairs, and a bed were all there was to this place. No, there was a big closet on the left I only noticed after peeking in. Well, it would have to do for now.
“You’ll have to take care of furniture yourselves,” Melina said as she walked out into the hallway. “But it’s yours as long as this arrangement lasts.”
“This is just so stupid,” Sarah suddenly said. “I appreciate all you’re trying to do for us, but we just finished remodeling our home and were thinking of having more kids! And now? We have to be confined to a single room!”
“Enough!” Mark hissed under his breath. “We already talked about this!”
“Hey, hold on, Sarah,” I interrupted their exchange and stepped into the room. “No one’s holding you here, and no one’s saying this is forever. There are only ten others to whom I offered protection. If you think you don’t need it, no one’s keeping you here.”
Mark looked at me apologetically, and I knew she didn’t mean it like that, but I had to tell her right from the start. I was doing this as much for them as for myself.
“I’m sorry, Viktor. My wife is a bit on edge, especially with the baby and all.”
“We all are, but I promise that I’ll put your lives before mine. You work with me, and I protect you as my own.”
They nodded appreciatively and looked around the room some more. I dropped the bags inside and walked out, closing the door behind me as I joined Melina in the hallway.
“This is going to be much harder than you thought, Vik.”
“Yeah, you’re right, but once morning comes and those new monsters prove to be dangerous, they’ll be grateful.”
New voices rang out from the front yard. I peeked through the window and grinned. A group of men and women stood near the fountain, looking around as if searching for something. Or someone.
“Be right down!” I yelled from the window and waved.
Kang waved back as he stood there, holding a small child in his arms. It was a young girl. My heart skipped a beat, and all the happiness I felt build up over the last hours evaporated. Shit, my dead wife wasn’t the only one I tried to suppress. The newborn. It felt as if someone had punched me in the gut, but I bit through it and took a deep breath.
“What is it?” Melina asked, immediately noticing my discomfort.
“I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
I started moving down the stairs, leaving her standing at the top, staring at my back. I didn’t want her to see my face right then, or she might notice the lone tear that rolled down my cheek. Making a turn, I quickly wiped it with the back of my hand so she couldn’t see, and tried to put up a façade, at least for now.
Kang bowed slightly as I walked up to him. The rest bowed deeper along with their wives and the two slightly older kids. No one spoke, no one but the little girl in his arms.
“I’m glad you guys decided to take me up on my offer,” I said as I mimicked the bow, but only slightly. It wouldn’t do to show them too much leeway, or they might get stupid ideas. “And I’m sure you saw the notes about the elite and boss monsters?”
“We did, boss,” Kang replied for both himself and the rest. “We discussed it earlier when we met up, and that has only made us even surer of our decision.”
“Right, right. Well, how about you guys get settled over the next hour and let the ladies unpack as we hold our meeting?”
A little over an hour later we finally sat down in the main building’s hall. We removed four of the walls separating the booths so all could sit comfortably. Melina was in the kitchen, preparing drinks and snacks while three of the cousins’ wives helped her, and the others carried the plates, glasses, and pitchers.
I waited until everyone had a drink and raised my glass.
“I’ll start this first meeting with the issue at hand and how I think we can get ahead of the rest. Is everyone seated comfortably?”
“I sure am,” Mark said from my right. “This place is quite cozy and interesting. Never thought I’d be a part of it.”
I nodded. “It is. That’s why I chose this ryokan to be our base… no, our home. Base sounds so wrong.” I took in a deep breath and exhaled before going on. “This is where we’ll be staying, and by doing so, we concentrate our power in one place. We’ll gradually expand so you have more room and luxury, but I don’t think we have the time to think about those things right now.”
“And what’s the first thing you’ll have us do?” Kang asked.
He sat to my left, so I turned to face him.
“There are two things. One is to get your names, but I doubt I’ll remember them right away.”
“Oh? That’s quite easy.” Kang laughed. “From left to right are Feng, Ang, Chang, Don, Lee, Jin, Han, Yan, and Gary.”
“And Gary? You’re not related by blood?” I had to search for the word for a second in my mind. Shit, I would have to get Melina to give me some pointers once we had settled in.
He shrugged. “I am, but my parents didn’t want to give me a name that revealed my heritage,” he replied.
He was slightly taller than most of his cousins and broad-shouldered as if he was a bodybuilder. That was basically the only difference.
“Well, I’ll be honest right away. It will take a while for me to get who’s who. I’m bad with names in general, so—yeah, whatever.”
&
nbsp; I finally took a sip from my glass and then proceeded to down it all in one go. Gary, the one I remembered because of his name, hurried to pour me another drink, but I raised my hand to stop him.
“No, we’re all equal around this table. Whenever we have a meeting, I want you all to think of me as a brother, not a boss. Out there it’s another thing, but when we’re in here sharing a drink or the same food, you’ll call me Vik or Viktor.”
They all nodded.
“Is that a good idea?” Kang asked.
“Why wouldn’t it be? Will you respect me less that way?”
“No, by God! No! It would only make us respect you more!”
He’d spoken a little louder than was probably intended, but I wouldn’t hold it against him. He was in an awkward position, all of us were. Sure, I had experience dealing with people in my previous life, but over here it was another story entirely.
“Then that’s solved. Now for the second matter, let me just show you.” I picked a crystal from my pocket and held it in front of them. “This is a crystal filled with an energy I call Enma. Kobolds drop them, but very rarely.”
“Yeah, I saw someone yell about a strange-looking gem earlier,” Mark said as he narrowed his eyes on the piece in my hand.
“One in a hundred drops them, or one in ten. It’s just pure luck, I guess. Anyway, everyone please take one.”
I placed the one I held in front of Mark and pulled eleven more from my small pouch. It was basically empty afterward, but I didn’t mind. It was an investment.
“What now?” he asked.
“Now you take the crystal in your hand and crack it slightly but make sure not to break it. Just a little bit of force to one of the edges, and once you’ve done that, place it between your hands and try to feel for the energy. It’s alright if some of it escapes, but hold it tightly and try to feel it, absorb it through your skin.”
I sat there and observed each of them as they tried to follow my instructions. They closed their eyes instinctively, all but Sandro and Mark. When I nodded toward Kang, the two followed suit. Strangely, Sandro had been silent all this time and was just sitting there doing nothing. Well, I’d give him some space if he needed it.
Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) Page 15