Chapter 15

I sigh as I watch the black mana pick up Indrids' avatar into the air, floating beside me.

Backtracking to where I hung my bag, I grab it and carry it with my long tail.

Continuing on the trail, silence once more reigns the atmosphere.

'001, I know you're there.'

Mentally, I call out for 001.

From what I knew in my last life, 001 and a few other AI's under Alpha were assigned to different beta players as a guide.

001 was Indrids' guide.

{ ...You are master? }

A hesitant voice calls out from in my brain.

001 was the type to stay silent yet had an elder sibling mindset as one of the first AI's created, they had to take care of the other, younger AI.

'Mn, you should have heard from Queen, no?'

Responding to 001, I recall the conversation I had with Queen before she went back to fulfill her duties in the virtual world about a month ago.

---

'Baby is sorry master! Baby has to go soon. Would master like baby to inform the others about masters' situation?'

'Yes, don't tell anyone from the organization though. Only the AI's, tell the organization that I have something that came up and that I needed a few weeks of break.'

'Yes, master! Baby understands!'

---

{ A-ah, yes! Please forgive this one's rudeness! }

There was a hierarchy in the hive, Queen was the one closest to me and naturally spoke with less restraint.

001 was the 'offspring' of Alpha who is directly under Queen, and couldn't speak so freely like Queen was with me.

It was akin to the difference between speaking with your co-worker and speaking with your direct superior.

'No, it's alright. You are the guide of player Indrid, when he wakes up, don't tell him too much about me.'

I didn't know the player personally, he was pretty active in the first year but went completely silent in the next 2 years.

{ Thank you for your benevolence, your grace! }

001's enthusiastic voice replied in my head.

Reaching a pretty secluded area, I lay the avatar down on the forest floor faced upwards.

Sitting down next to him, the shade coming off the tree cooled us down as his breathing stabilized and Indrid looked more relaxed than before.

Reviewing what I knew from my past life, I realize that I didn't know much.

Other than studying and training amongst occasional missions assigned by the organization, I didn't pay too much attention to the world.

But of course, I had paid special attention to the game that was created by my father, it was the only thing he passed down to me.

If Indrid was the uncrowned king, then Surya was VANHA's war god.

Among all the other popular players, Surya was known for his rapid rise and eccentric personality.

He was a battle maniac and it was rumored that Surya was raised by beasts.

The other most powerful was the Beast Queen, Atai, an ordinary animal lover who came to the seat unintentionally.

Indris, Surya, and Atai. The top three of VANHA. Indris, the 'Uncrowned King', Surya, the 'God of War', Atai, the 'Beast Queen'.

"Ngh..."

A small sound reverberated from Indris's throat, his fingers twitching a little.

His eyes flicker open, before looking around confusedly.

"Where...?"

---

Indrid jerks up and a headache hits him right after, black spots blurring his vision.

"Calm down. Take a rest, you've overexerted yourself."

A calm androgynous voice came from his side, swiftly, Indrid turns his head to see the person who saved him from before.

She had long fluffy hair and amber-red eyes. Sitting on the grass beside him.

"You may address me as Val. I found you getting chased by a mother grizzly bear. You passed out though, so I brought you here."

Val looked at Indrid, tiredness took up most of the emotions on her face but there was also visible interest.

Only now did Indrid notice the silver-grey ears that stood up on Val's head.

"Beastkin...?"

Indrid asks hesitantly, afraid as though the question would offend the existence before him.

Beastkin.

They appeared during the war, beastkin's started out as animals and had 3 growth stages, the second was when they could transform into demi-humans, a beastkin.

Most were feared for their powers and biological talents. The ability to revert into their strongest forms at will and use that respective beasts' talents.

Judging from the ears on Vals' head, she was probably some foxkin or wolfkin mix breed. There was no recognizable race with ears that fluffy and large. That or there was some mutation.

Blinking, Val raises her hand to touch her head before her pupils constrict.

The wind picks up a little, making Indrid blink before seeing that the ears on Val's head are gone. Round, human ears slightly peek out of the black and silver stranded hair.

"You saw nothing."

Looking at Indrid with a slight warning in her glare, her iris' slowly darken into an abyssal color, yet her pupils were still white.

Nodding fervently, Indrid asks 001 in his mind why Val hid the fact that she was clearly a beastkin.

{ You are on the Silver continent which is managed by the Federation. They are purely a human-ruled force and don't generally welcome other races unless slaves or of high status. This applies to beastkin's too, though not elves and dwarves. }

001 informed Indrid, slightly nervous as they knew that Val can definitely hear their conversation, as per rights to being the systems admin.

Val stands up, the cape flowing down her back, walking in a direction where fauna is sparser, a faint trail.

Hearing that there were no signs of movement from behind her, she turns around at looks at Indrid with slightly annoyed eyes.

"Get up, don't you want to back to the... Cloudfall village before dark?"

Indrid faces Val's gaze with a startled face.

"I... how did you know?"

Orbs of darkness stared at the tall male who was still sitting on the ground.

"It's the closest village here, or do you reside in the forest?"

Indrid felt that he asked a stupid question, getting up, he quickly gave a nod of confirmation.

"Err... yeah, I do."

Both made their way to the village entrance and were greeted by two guards who were just finishing their shift for the day.

Orange bled throughout the skies as the large ball of flames set over the horizon.

Sprinkles of blinking stars began to appear in the darker blues of the sky.

A small breeze of wind picks up the scent of nature, bringing it throughout the air.

"Halt! State your purpose for coming here."

One of the gaurds caught sight of the two and called out, walking towards them.

Indrid, recognizing the gaurd who had a friendly attitude towards him and sent him off earlier that day.

"Wait! It's me, Indrid!"

The taller guy said to the older man.

"You? The amnesiac boy?"

He recognized him from the unique hair color, but not the youth next to him.

She had an aloof and chilling aura around her, at the same time she seemed pretty tired as well.

It could be assumed that she was some sort of military official or someone of importance.

"Yes! Um, this is Val, she saved me from a bear that was chasing me from before."

Indrid, noticing the look of vigilance on the gaurd directed at the young lady besides him, quickly informing him of what happened from before.

"I see..."

He nodded, scratching his chin before facing Val.

"Alright then, just don't make trouble and you should be fine."

The gaurd told Val before going back to his post and retiring as another gaurd took his place.

Val, who was silent the entire time entered the village and looked around.

Cloudfall village was a seemingly normal village, though it was much larger than the unnamed village.

She walked on the main street, reading the signs above the shops, before coming to a stop after catching sight of an inn.

'Cloudless Inn'