Chapter 33 - A New Bond Forming 

Marco Flare, the CEO of the Golden Age company, hurried through the hallway of the building. His long strides echoed against the two thick glass doors, which opened automatically as he approached. Once again, late at night, his assistant had come to present him with yet another important discovery. He quickly strode towards a large screen that was in the room.

"What did you find this time, Freya?" Marco immediately noticed the video playing on the big screen.

Standing beside him was a girl with brown hair tied to the front left side of her shoulder. She appeared to be 21 years old, her expression calm yet serious. "It seems the new ancient elements may be discovered soon, Mr. Director," she replied.

Marco instantly spotted the video playing on the huge screen in front of him. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the figure of a player he never anticipated to be there, the same person who had created an uproar sometime ago.

"Broken? How could he be in a situation like this?" he asked in surprise.

"Apparently, he had managed to break through the barrage of requirements through luck and the blessing skill given by the goddess Akidia, the Quest Advancement skill," Freya explained. "But he really is someone who never wastes the time he has, and he is someone who can work non-stop."

Marco slowly shook his head and muttered, "I heard he was mining non-stop all night before."

"Immortal Legacy is a game, but the effort required to succeed in it isn't so different from the effort one has to put in to achieve something in the real world. You need to do all of the mundane tasks diligently and consistently in order to reach a high rank." he added.

"Yes, Mr. Director," Freya replied. "And this player, Broken, really is an irony as the Champion of Sloth. I can't imagine how big he will become in the future."

Marco fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

Finally, he spoke again. "Moonstone," he said quietly, his voice tinged with worry.

"I fear this quest may be too hard for him to finish." He shook his head. "I don't mean to doubt his determination and commitment, but I can't help but wonder if he'll be able to make it to the end. The task of mining for Moonstone minerals is incredibly demanding and requires a great amount of patience. Will he be able to stick it out?"

Freya fixed her gaze intently as Marco posed his question, "What should we do, Mr. Director?"

"Ancient Element is an immense source of power, and I had not anticipated that the game would be so quickly presented with such a situation," Marco replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "It would appear that this Broken is pushing us to work even harder."

After discussing for some time, Marco finally felt that he should pay more attention to what amazing things Broken would be doing in the game. Turning to his assistant Freya, Marco said, "Freya, have you personally met the person behind the player named Broken?"

Freya lifted her gaze to meet Marco's, her eyes hesitantly searching his face. "Mr. Director," she began, "we've been digging around for information, and we'll try to communicate directly with Leon soon. Do you have any special requests for this, Mr. Director?"

Marco smiled and nodded. "I want you to meet with him immediately, Freya, to ensure you fully comprehend his expectations and plans for the future. I'm confident he will become a worldwide phenomenon, and we must make sure he is not put in a difficult situation."

The Golden Age company and the government have worked in close cooperation, especially concerning players with great potential or those at the highest rankings. They might be ordinary people in the real world, but they were renowned in the Immortal Legacy.

Substantial amounts of resources and money were invested in this extraordinary game, allowing those with the top rankings to become new celebrities whose names would be known to everyone on Earth. That was how influential the Immortal Legacy was for that era of the time.

"Yes, Mr. Director," Freya replied, her tone conveying her assurance. "I'll do it soon."

***

After much deliberation, Leon logged back into Immortal Legacy, finally deciding to skip his class.

He grinned as he stepped back onto Yunatea. "I'm still fascinated by this Moonstone quest, so I don't think skipping classes is a bad thing. After all, I'm the champion of sloth! It's only natural that I'm a bit lazy."

Without a moment's hesitation, Broken marched swiftly towards The Adventurer's Guild, his focus and determination clear. His mission was to find an individual or group to join him on his quest to mine some Moonstone. He knew this was the perfect place to look, as The Adventurer's Guild was renowned for being the hub of adventurers, with its plentiful NPCs, quests, and items for purchase. He was sure here he would find the perfect companion for his journey.

"If anyone found out I'm a god champion, they'd probably think I'm delusional, yet here I am, struggling to strategize even against level 50 monsters," he mused wearily.

But as he trudged along, deep in thought, he abruptly stumbled to a halt when three figures stepped into his path and blocked his way.

"Broken..." RememberMe shouted, taking a step back in order to address him better. He then dramatically dropped to his knees, pressing his right hand against his left chest.

"Please, Broken. I know you'll be a great figure in the future. And I want to join you on your journey. I know you may not need us in the near future, but I'm sure we'll be of use to you now. Allow me to be part of the legendary history you will create, the path to becoming the Legendary Level Zero."

Broken's expression hardened as he glanced at the two figures standing behind RememberMe.

PussyCat, the blonde-haired mage, let out a chuckle and said, "There's something wrong with this guy's brain, isn't there?"

"Is he always like this?" Broken enquired.

"I think, almost every time," Forever, the Asian-faced archer, replied. "He seems to think the world is his alone, and how many times have we been in trouble because of his foolishness and lack of intelligence?" She then pointed at RememberMe's head.

Broken paused for a moment, considering the offer that had been presented to him. "What do you need from me?" he asked. "I assume our business is concluded?"

"Would you not like us to accompany you on your adventures, Broken?" PussyCat asked with an inviting expression.

"I'm content with whatever you decide," Forever chimed in. "But I'm also intrigued if you plan to invite us on any of your endeavors."

"Yes, Master Broken," RememberMe interjected in a loud voice, still on his knees.

Broken then shared his virtual map, which was visible to those in front of him. RememberMe jumped to his feet to get a better look at what Broken was doing.

"I need companions to take this route up until this point here." He said, pointing to the map. "This journey through the forest to the top of the mountain, I'm not sure if I can do it alone."

"We'll come with you!" RememberMe responded without a second thought.

"But..." Broken then paused, swiveling around to face them. "I don't want this to be a quest that only benefits me. I have a mission I want to pursue, yet I have absolutely no intention of joining your party. I think it's only fair that we divide the rewards of our hunt evenly. And I'm not sure how long it will take me to accomplish my task on the summit of the mountain, but I'm certain it won't be a short and simple journey."

"We've already decided. We're in!" RememberMe declared, his voice full of conviction.

PussyCat smiled and nodded in agreement. "It's been such an exciting 24 hours of hunting with you," she said. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of great adventures ahead of us."

"Agree." Forever said.

"Okay," Broken nodded in agreement. "Let's meet up again here in a few hours. I need to do some preparation beforehand."

Broken set off for the plaza, eager to restock his supplies of healing and mana potions as well as some food. After browsing the market stalls for a while, he had parted with fifty silver coins, leaving him with a much lighter purse.

He had yet to buy himself a suitable piece of armor, but he felt it would be a waste of money to purchase it now, as he would not be able to acquire a decent piece with his current funds. He thus decided to postpone it until he was able to craft something himself.

Since there were now four people traveling together, Broken could not ride on Polly, so they decided to use a carriage instead. RememberMe, taking the initiative, rented the carriage with his own money and proudly presented it to Broken as a surprise.

On that morning of their journey, Broken was eager to embark on his first hunting expedition with his new partner in Immortal Legacy.