Chapter 42 - Brief Break

25 October 2023

Tekion's workshop, Sanjun, 30th Floor

"Hey, have you heard?"

The colliding sound of metal rang through the forge as Tekion called out to me between the swings.

I opened my eyes, staring at the ceiling. Lying on a row of chairs by the door, I tried to turn to him, my body precariously rotating on the seats placed only side by side to each other. My nap didn't turn out much to be like one, seeing that Tekion's hammer didn't exactly gave me the necessary peace for my slumber.

"Heard what?" I asked, slightly reluctant to raise my voice in the noise.

"You know.....that incident." Tekion said as he raised his hammer.

As if the next whack of the hammer had shocked me awake, my eyes burst open almost immediately. The next moment sent me rolling of the chairs, crashing the ground with noise that rivalled the hammer swings.

".....Ooof....." I mumbled, placing my right hand onto my forehead while still staring at the ceiling.

Tekion couldn't have known about the incident that me and Irokei got ourselves into, did he? Only the members of Horizon's Edge and a few outsiders know about it, and we swore not to disclose it to the public.

"Shouldn't you have already known? Everyone's been talking about the incident that happened in the 40th Floor Labyrinth." Tekion continued.

I quickly sat myself on a chair. "How you know about it.....? Like, who told you?"

Tekion gave me a perplexing stare, as sparks flew over his face.

"It's the reason why the night concerts stopped, Z."

I froze up in my seat. It was as if Tekion had given me a hint about the topic, even though he had expected me to get it. As the events of the ambush incident flowed back to me again, the realization that another incident--which happened on the same day--had become clearer to me.

But back then, I had never considered that the field boss fight that I had witnessed would turn into a full-blown incident as well. I was recovering from my incident for the past few days, but now that I had pondered enough about that....

"Wait, wait..." I said. "Were you talking about the raid on one of the field bosses in the 40th Floor Labyrinth?"

Tekion nodded. "The raid party only had a female player. That was the Song Enchanter, for some reason I wouldn't know. All I know is that stuff happened, and she perished during the raid."

I started to stand up, but paused halfway, knees bent in a slightly awkward manner. So that female player that I had seen through those jail bars....was her?

"The worst part is," Tekion continued. "Her death was the only one in the raid. They said she had sacrificed herself in the process. It's real sad, Z......I was thinking of attending the next night concert, you know."

"You a fan?" I asked simply.

"Heck, who else isn't?" Tekion's final whack with the hammer turned the metal he was working on into a longsword. "I would pay all my col--or my finest weapons--to watch the idol sing again."

I could feel his sentiment there. In a world where weapons and combat are everything, no one would think that music could ever exist in our lives. We would often forget about the non-combat skills that never seem to get the attention of players, just because they didn't help much in fighting enemy mobs and such.

Since we are in a death game, it really couldn't be helped. We're all trying to survive in our own ways, no matter where we are in this giant floating castle.

"Never thought you'd be willing to give up your best works for music." I commented, as Tekion appraised the longsword held in his hands. His eyes glanced at me, before switching back to the glint of the blade.

"Hmm, I'll take back the part about paying with my weapons," Tekion chuckled a little as the appraisal window appeared in front of him. "But seriously, her songs were the best I've ever heard, even though they're the only ones we ever listened to here."

"True. I wish I could listen to them again." I leaned back to rock the chair a little. "I also wish that you'd hurry up with your work. My spear can't enhance itself, you know."

Tekion gave a straight stare at me with a smile. "Figures. You never come here without a reason." He placed the new longsword with the pile of longswords by the furnace, all glinting as much light as the newest one did.

"I guess the usual enhancement success rate works for you, then?" Tekion asked, as he strolled across the room to reach for another hammer.

"Yep." I brought down my menu with a tinge of excitement. "The usual."

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Horizon's Edge guild base, 30th Floor

"Back from your errands, Zen?" Misuko called as she spotted me entering the front gate. She was leaning by the front doors a few metres away, apparently idling away before I came in.

Assuming she must be taking a break from her duties, I casually strolled to her with a wave. Misuko's still getting used to her guild leader status in the guild, plus she wasn't one to act like a guild leader should, unlike Akiko, who always seemed to have her leader aura follow whenever she went.

But then again, it might be accurate to say that Misuko's slacking off from her 'office work' that she had assigned herself to do for the sake of managing the guild. If Akiko was the serious and straightforward type in her leadership, Misuko would be the complete opposite, trying to get along with the members personally instead of overseeing them from above.

In fact, I'd seen her all over headquarters for the past few days, chatting with the guild members as if they were family. Maybe this was her method of being guild leader, utilizing leadership in her own special way. The rest of the guild was starting to accept her as guild leader as well, and I was definitely doing the same.

"I'd prefer if you'd at least call me Z-man, like Narnia does." I said as I leaned on the doors beside the guild leader. "Managing too many nicknames is a hassle."

"You'll get used to it, Zen!" Misuko chirped instantly with a smile. "I create the best nicknames for everyone!"

"...Oh welp..." I mumbled, feeling a bit hot in my cheeks. I must have been blushing, as Misuko tried to suppress a giggle when she looked at me.

"So....." Misuko started off as she placed her hands together. "What were your errands?"

I could feel the weight of her eyes bearing through mine. I could suddenly feel an aura of authority coming off from her. She was expecting me to answer, after all.

"I just....went to visit my blacksmith friend to enhance my weapons.....that's all...." I replied, looking straight at the front yard. I didn't even try to take a swift glance at the staring girl. Something told me that her suspicions of me going out were what I had expected her to think of.

Girls can think a bit too much about stuff at times.

"We have a smithy here in headquarters, you know." Misuko's smile was now struggling to keep being a smile, her mouth starting to twitch as she stated that fact to me.

"Well, I've know him way before I joined this guild...." I explained while striking a finger out to bring out my point. "I mean, our blacksmith's great, but....my friend's...um.....better! Yep! I'm his regular customer, so I sometimes get him to work on my weapons...!"

My eyes kept switching back and forth to Misuko, who was starting to breathe down my neck by the second. As I offered my explanation, she slowly moved closer to me, her twitching smile probably at the verge of breaking up.

"Then get him to join us!"

"....Eh?"

Being a little put off at Misuko's sudden remark, my head turned just as much to look at her. "You'd...allow that?" I asked, albeit feeling doubtful.

"Sure!" Misuko's smile had turned into a serene crescent. "We've always welcomed anyone who wants to join this guild. Even Akiko, even though she doesn't look like the type to."

"We need more manpower in our smithy anyways, so it's great if you can take him in." She added.

Having gotten the guild leader's permission, I sighed in relief. I had been thinking of recruiting Tekion over to the guild, but wasn't sure of the best time to do it. I'm not even sure how to convince him on that topic either.

"I'll try my best, then." I declared after some thought. I then turned to a serious-looking Misuko, now standing off the doors and staring straight in front of her. As I turned to where she was looking, my eyes widened a bit.

Just beyond the front gate of our base were a bunch of players gathered as a group, with their weapons brandished out. One of them was grabbing onto the poles of the gate, shaking it rather violently.

"Zen, get the whole guild here." Misuko materialized her weapon from her menu as her smile vanished.

"......This is real bad."

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