―
Luna's willingness to embark on a journey astonished Kieran. However, he couldn't allow Luna to follow along blindly without understanding just what they were getting themselves into.
"I appreciate the eagerness, and it shows your faith in me. But, I suggest you hold off on answering until I explain what we'll be doing," Kieran said.
However, Luna's expression remained plain. "Does it really matter? I always assume it's something dangerous when it pertains to you."
Kieran choked because she wasn't wrong. There was a single adventure he had embarked on where his success was guaranteed. Whether it was the Goblin's Cave, Underground Labyrinth, or the Chasm of Apogeton, each scenario was accompanied by an insane difficulty.
Nevertheless, it was decent etiquette to have Luna make the necessary preparations. "We'll be going up against an NPC organization this time."
"Oh..." Luna fell silent as her lips slowly morphed into a grimace. "Aren't NPCs more difficult than monsters? Like, most of them boast extremely high combat awareness."
"Precisely. Our goal would be to eradicate this NPC organization from its roots. We will expunge this world by ridding this scourge. I've gone against one of their members before the metamorphosis, but you should prepare for our battles. It wouldn't surprise me if some died," Kieran said.
Luna focused on Kieran's name as she recalled its effects. "Then, isn't your situation risky? If I'm not mistaken, your name should be at the Third Degree of Infamy, which means you'll suffer massive losses upon death."
"Death?" Kieran grinned and shook his head. "I have no plans to die. I can't blasphemy my teacher and our legacy like that."
"Teacher?" Luna's brows furrowed before making a guess. "Does it have something to do with your unique class?"
"Bingo!" Kieran made a gun-firing gesture with his hand before continuing with the conversation. "This ordeal may take a considerable amount of time, four days at the very least. So I suggest you notify Luka that he'll be covering your team for the time being."
"The invitation is only extended to me again?"
"The others are struggling with combat, are they not?"
"Ah, that's true. I'd feel shame if my members weighed down the team in a precarious moment. I'll let him know then." Luna understood that not everyone could experience the same opportunities.
"Don't feel as if you're being unfair. A few of my members won't be joining us either. This is a mission that calls for a collection of the elite. So..." Kieran fell silent as he considered his other alternative.
"So?" Luna blinked while awaiting the rest of Kieran's statement.
"So, you might make a new friend; who knows." Kieran gave an unusual smile, but Luna didn't know how to interpret it.
Afterward, Kieran directed Luna to meet him at the city gates within the next three hours.
After hanging up with Luna, Kieran called Ezra.
Surprisingly, Ezra answered much quicker than Luna.
However, unlike Luna, Ezra was currently in the middle of fighting against a monster. Because of the camera angle, Kieran could see glimpses of her sword style.
'It's magnificent no matter how many times I lay eyes upon it,' Kieran inwardly thought.
Ezra's movements were fluid and moved in anticipation of her opponent's next movement. So, she was essentially one step ahead at all times while the monster barely competed with her action speed.
Although he called her with important information, Kieran waited until the battle concluded to reveal it.
"I'm surprised you're already reaching out to me. We spoke not too long ago. Tell me, did you miss me, or perhaps you've reconsidered my offer?" Ezra gave a charming smile while giving Kieran a light tease.
She was by no means serious, because it seemed like Kieran called her for a specific reason.
However, Kieran played along for a moment and leaned back while crossing his arms with an unsure expression. "So what if I did?"
Ezra was too stunned to speak. Instead, a peal of melodious laughter rang out from this video call. "To think you'd be so confident to be this relaxed with me. Anyway, is there another reason you've called?"
"Yes," Kieran nodded. All of his playful actions disappeared as he adopted a different demeanor. "Are you interested in a Main Quest?"
"Main Quest?" Ezra's eyes flashed with intrigue that was skillfully hidden. She was experienced enough to know that keeping calm when discussing crucial matters was the best route. Only after a brief pause did she continue. "I've yet to obtain one. I'm surprised you have."
"Well, that's a given since you weren't from here, to begin with, but I digress. Should you be interested, I have three slots on an upcoming quest."
"How soon?" Ezra asked. Her interest was piqued once Kieran mentioned there were three available slots.
"As soon as possible. The gist of the quest is to go against an NPC organization. I'll let you in on the specifics when we meet at the city's gates. Also, you must bring a decent damager and healer."
Ezra pursed her lips when Kieran dictated the class limitations.
This completely changed the roster she had in mind. However, there was no shortage of talented people in Eclipse. The positions in her mind were interchangeable, so she considered replacements in a second.
"I'll meet you there soon enough," Ezra said before swiftly ending the call. Because she had gone out to level, she was at least an hour away from the city on foot. If Kieran wanted her to meet up within the next few hours, it left little time to continue leveling up.
Following this conversation, Kieran slumped in the chair and sighed. "Hectic... hectic... hectic... but this is what I wanted. I'll have to deal with it."
Afterward, Kieran instructed Bastion, Nemean, Altair, Alice, and Sera to continue training until he requested their presence.
Once these orders were given, Kieran logged out of Zenith Online for a short while.
...
Inside the Medical Facility...
Kieran opened his eyes and took off the VR Helmet before placing it by his side. The first thing he noticed after doing so was Dr. Riley standing in front of a large metal crate with her mouth wide open.
Dr. Riley only turned toward Kieran after hearing a strange signal from the machines.
"T-this is... this is your doing?" Dr. Riley stuttered while pointing to the crate.
Kieran approached it and noticed a few things about it. One, it was ice cold, meaning it had refrigerated features. Two, there was a 4-digit passcode lock; however, it was digital, so it was most likely not just limited to numbers.
Lastly, the crate was almost half his size. Considering the vials were 100 milliliters at most, Kieran could understand how over 1,200 items could fit inside this crate.
Kieran bent down and considered the passcode before typing: E Z R A.
Hsssss!
The crate hissed and released the locking mechanism, which caused the slow opening of the box's top and sides like a blooming lotus.
"Kyaaa!" Dr. Riley's eyes glimmered with excitement as she hopped in place with giddy claps. It wasn't the vast amount of X-hancers that excited her but the thought of compiling more data from Kieran's training and experiences.
Dr. Riley dashed up to the box and scanned all of the labels. Whoever packed the package was highly professional because the vials were neatly organized in ascending order. Each layer of 50 represented an increase in concentration.
"Where did you even receive them from? It's worth millions, if not tens of millions of dollars," Dr. Riley muttered in shock. She scanned Kieran up and down before narrowing her eyes and coming to a disturbing assumption.
"You didn't con some old widow with your good looks, did you? That wouldn't be right at all. It'd make you an immoral man."
Kieran first looked at Dr. Riley in disbelief before switching to exasperation. "What the hell goes on in that mind of yours? I used to think it was dedicated solely to science, but I'm having other thoughts now. You may be very far gone."
"You didn't answer my question!"
"I didn't, woman! I agreed to train some people and offered information. This is my payment!"
"Who in their right mind gives this exorbitant payment for training in a game?!"
"Were you not given this facility for the sake of science?" Kieran countered matter-of-factly.
Dr. Riley raised her finger before narrowing her gaze with a stomp. "It's not the same! You're contaminating the value of seeking knowledge."
"You're a freak--plain and simple," Kieran spat.
Thud!
Dr. Riley tackled Kieran to the ground in a fit of rage and glared into his eyes. However, the anger in her eyes quickly subsided, only to be replaced by embarrassment once she realized she was atop Kieran's half-bare body.
"Y-you... ah... um...." Dr. Riley struggled to form a coherent sentence while stumbling to find a safe place to put her hands. After all, Kieran's body was still warm from his X-hancer ingestion.
Meanwhile, Kieran was similarly stunned and couldn't speak for quite some time.
