Chapter 128: The Day Off
[Patron endorsements will be coming soon.]
[Hidden quest rewards will also be shared after some investigations are made.]
[Requests for interviews are being processed too. We’re working on a different format now. Patrons will bid for Players to use.]
[Note that this might not just be interviews or training sessions. Some might ask for you to join dungeon runs or Invasions. The terms for participation will be sent to you.]
[Please be sure to comply. Patrons hold the right to sanction or discipline you if you breach a contract.]
Thalia read the notification with a slight twist of disgust on her lips. She leaned back into her chair, saying, "I really don’t like the sound of that. Will they ask us to do anything weird?"
The whole setup made a lot of people vulnerable. It made Faust glad he accepted the interview with Narad. He shot Kye a text and found out his next interview with Narad was already being processed.
[Kye: I’m not your point of contact with the Hierophyt Company. So if you need anything, please reach out.]
He wanted skill fusion stones and more resources, but he knew there had to be rules around that stuff.
[Red God: Weren’t there these training sessions with outside players? I’d like to take a few lessons.]
[Kye: Most of those guys feed off humbling new players by showing off their more developed martial arts. But there are some that focus on teaching Players. You’ll have to appear consistently for them, and there’ll be some other details. I’ll make some calls and get you something soon.]
It was incredibly helpful to not have to work on that by himself. Most of life was spent meeting people, doing job interviews, proving your worth for something you barely want.
Getting someone to do that for you was infinitely better.
It allowed Faust to focus on fighting and leveling up.
His stream for the final wave was really popular, even though it blacked out when he disappeared with Vi. Inside that dark space with the Pillar, Faust had Vi blow Nem’s flute and then he delivered a killing blow.
She survived barely, but it was enough for the system to think she died.
There Drekar lost his connection to her, and the hidden quest was completed.
His viewers had skyrocketed as people canceled their subscriptions to watch him. He was the most viewed player right now, although Jason had more subscribers than him.
Most opinions he saw called him lucky and insane. Most people thought he had killed himself to stop Vi after all. They had no idea how he came back.
And although theories were on the rise, most just thought he got copped out by some mechanic.
He had a feeling most people were subscribed to him just to hate-watch, since he could check Jason’s stream and see them being more positive.
Arthur, his dad, had been furious and adamant about banning all of them. Faust had to add his stepmom as a moderator to keep Arthur in check.
Truthfully, he enjoyed the hate. So many people in chat rooting against him, challenging him to prove he deserved all the hype.
His body was actually itching to get in a fight.
But, contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t a mindless animal. He knew when he had to take breaks. Not to mention Nirvana made him promise they would get at least a day off.
[You’ve been invited to an Interview on Narad’s Room in thirty minutes.]
"Nice," Faust said simply.
"Did you guys get the same person as last time?" Nirvana asked.
"I was actually nervous for a second there," Thalia admitted. "I’ll kiss Kye’s hand—tentacle, I mean, next time I see her."
Greg hummed in agreement. "She recommended me for this gameshow for Tanks. They reward skills if you win. It’s in like three hours though, so nothing for me."
"Heh, my interview is tomorrow," Spider said smugly.
Nirvana turned to Faust and he said, "Thirty minutes."
"We should go walk before that," Nirvana suggested casually. "We’ve been sitting for a while."
Thalia nodded. "I would—"
"I actually meant the two of us."
Hurt flashed in Thalia’s eyes for a moment, but she nodded it off. Faust felt bad for her, but he wouldn’t mind being alone with Nirvana for a while.
’That’s rough, buddy,’ Faust thought, then he turned to Nirvana, "Yeah, let’s go."
They laughed together off the terrace and into the main upstairs restaurant. The place had sparse lighting and let the ambient sunlight give an aesthetic energy. But this made the stairs downstairs kind of treacherous.
They didn’t even get to the door before their laughter vanished.
Diego and Kit were standing there. The older man stood taller than his lieutenant. His salt and pepper hair was disheveled and dirty. On the other hand, Kit looked clean and dressed to perfection in a pressed blue coat.
Her thin, severe face softened when she saw Faust. "Just who we’re looking for."
"Oh, there you are," Diego seemed more nervous, his voice not as solid.
Nirvana gave them an exasperated look as she also sensed more serious talks coming.
Diego tried not to notice as he walked closer. "Sorry, just need to speak to you, privately." The glare in Nirvana’s eye made him amend that. "Or with the two of you."
Sergio hooked them up with a private room in the kitchen. A back room he furnished with some sliders, pastries, and a wine bottle.
Faust studied the bottle, a bit surprised. They had been served from pitchers at the party in the town hall.
"Where’d you get this from?"
"That’s part of what we want to talk to you about," Diego said, relaxing into his wooden chair.
Only the girls sat up and stayed alert. Nirvana was glaring at Diego, while Kit swished her hand over the room and cast a shimmering barrier.
Normally Faust wouldn’t have noticed anything, but his senses were incredibly sharpened by his Spirit Attribute.
Sound was bouncing off the barrier and staying inside the room. It was essentially a sound-dampening spell.
"Where’d you get this spell?" Faust asked immediately. "I’m asking because I would like to have this. It’s incredibly useful in the world of enhanced voyeurs we live in."
"I got it from the system," Kit answered. "But I’ll keep an eye out for you. We still owe you for the weapons and stuff you gave out at the town hall. Unless you just want credits."
He hadn’t forgotten about that, but he was glad he didn’t have to remind Kit. Now she could go around and collect the money for him.
He sat forward and looked into Diego’s eyes as he poured drinks for everyone. "So what do you want from me, Old Dog?"
Diego sighed, looking heavier than usual. "It’s about Jason."
