Absolute Craft-Chapter 106: The Rotten Leviathan (1)

Chapter 106: The Rotten Leviathan (1)

Blake, Joel, and Kyria were led into a VIP room that was at least twice as large as Blake’s apartment. There were so many different utensils for dining that Joel didn’t know what to do with them.

Although Blake had some experience using them, Joel’s confusion seemed to outpace his thought process. He began peppering Blake and Kyria with questions about each utensil’s purpose, and Kyria patiently explained, while Blake listened quietly on the side.

A short while later, a waitress arrived carrying plates of appetizers. She was professional, but even Blake could sense her nervousness in Kyria’s presence.

As soon as the waitress escaped the VIP room, Joel asked Kyria where Wolfang was. It turned out something had come up, and he had to deal with it before joining them.

"He’ll be hungrier then!" Joel said with a forced smile. He still had no idea how to behave around the woman in front of him. On top of that, he wondered whether Blake felt stressed after frequently targeting Kyria during their volleyball match.

She was clearly a big deal, so Joel feared she might hold a grudge. It was like walking into a lion’s den.

’I have to learn more about her for Big Bro’s sake!’ Joel told himself. Summoning his courage, he said, "That snob was really rude! I wonder if places like this see a lot of people like him?"

Given how worried he was, Joel spoke more loudly than he intended, sounding more like a frightened chicken. Kyria didn’t seem to mind, though, and replied that these days, prestigious places rarely had any conflicts.

"...thanks to the bodyguards you saw," Kyria added.

Joel felt goosebumps race down his spine. Those bodyguards looked capable of snapping normal folks in half, and their deference to Kyria was extreme. They clearly followed her every word.

’This...this is too much,’ Joel thought, trembling. "W-w-what kind of bodyguards are they?"

"The kind you never want to cross," Kyria replied.

In that moment, Joel’s heart sank. It was as if he’d wandered into a shadowy underworld he had no business being in. He grew even more worried about Blake, who had actually inflicted some damage on Kyria’s hands during the match. Joel pictured those bulky bodyguards yelling at him for hurting their ’princess.’

How far off from reality was he, really?

Just then, more dishes arrived. Joel was the first to grab utensils and start eating, nervously stuffing his mouth in an attempt to calm down. Blake and Kyria took a more relaxed approach.

Several minutes later, Wolfang joined them. He apologized for being late, explained what had happened, and sat down—still wearing his mask.

Joel couldn’t help but think, How is he supposed to eat like that?

He decided he didn’t care and asked Wolfang for a mask of his own. Wolfang produced a spare (he kept one in case the original got damaged). Through this unexpected twist, the pair now wore masks in the VIP room, while the two players who usually hid their faces in Ashen World Online remained fully visible.

’I need to hide my lips! I can’t force a smile anymore!’ Joel thought. ’Big Bro, I hope you survive whatever this is, and nobody stops you from playing the game!’

He was letting his imagination run wild, but at least nobody could read his mind.

"How’s the food, guys?" asked the still-maskless Adrian.

’Adrian, you haven’t touched any of it!’ Joel yelled internally.

"It’s good," Blake replied.

’You’re my hero, Big Bro! Acting all calm in this situation!’ Joel cheered in his head, fangirling like Alex Red Moon.

"This feast has all we need to stay healthy," Wolfang commented. "By the way, today was pretty great. I’ve never enjoyed volleyball so much! Let’s play again next week."

Joel nearly choked on his food.

They definitely couldn’t refuse—backing out was scary enough to imagine, especially with bodyguards possibly appearing at their doorstep. The mere thought made Joel’s stomach twist.

"Yeah, it was fun," Blake said.

Those words eased Joel’s anxiety. It looked like Blake was prepared to go along with these new friends to keep the peace. Joel was relieved; he needed Blake’s calm presence more than ever...or maybe it was Blake’s obliviousness that made everything feel okay.

"Your feints were tricky, but I figured out a counter," Blake remarked, turning his gaze to Kyria, who was gracefully eating her meal.

She paused and smiled at him. "You still lost, though."

"Yeah," Blake said with a nod.

Meanwhile, Joel was freaking out in silence: ’Don’t flirt with her, Big Bro! You need a normal girl! Although...you aren’t normal yourself... I’m so confused!’

He felt like crying.

Suddenly, everyone’s phones vibrated. They’d all left a certain notification setting on, and since it rang for all of them at the same time, it had to be about one thing.

Ashen World Online.

Blake checked social media and saw the game’s official account had a major announcement:

[Rotten Leviathan is awakening! Tune in to our sponsored streams to watch the first main event in the tutorial zones from multiple POVs, and don’t miss a thing! Our official stream offers a bird’s-eye view for a non-player perspective!]

Joel’s concerns about Blake and Kyria vanished. Maybe Blake had just been talking about their volleyball match in his usual blunt way. Wolfang and Kyria exchanged glances, while Blake immediately stood up.

"Thanks for the food, but we have to go," he said.

Kyria, still holding her phone, nodded. "Us too."

Blake and Joel sprinted out of the restaurant, inadvertently annoying a few other patrons with their hasty exit. Kyria phoned for a car and soon reached her hotel, where a gaming capsule awaited her.

In GrayClouds’ Headquarters, Mr. Mawyer sat with his feet propped on a desk, watching several monitors that each followed a player of interest. Some screens remained blank, waiting for their turn to switch on.

Just as the official stream could show an aerial view of events, Mr. Mawyer could also track players from a bird’s-eye perspective. He never violated anyone’s privacy, though—he was the type to actually read every line of the Terms of Service.

’Time for a new protagonist to rise...or for a few potential ones to get crushed,’ he thought, eyeing a monitor that flickered to life, revealing a masked player in real time.

Dressed in simple clothes and wearing a fancy mask unattainable in the tutorial zones, this player was not alone. A stone dragon hovered around him, and a robed figure stood behind him.

’Blade...’ Mr. Mawyer smiled without realizing it.

He considered any player capable of changing the game’s world a "protagonist." Only five such players had emerged during the beta tests, and Supreme Blade was one of them. He’d even beaten one of the other protagonists, reducing their number to four by the beta’s finale.

The Rotten Leviathan Event had hidden mechanics that could unlock powers deserving of a "protagonist" label in Mawyer’s mind. That was why he was glued to his screens; he didn’t want to miss any potential breakthroughs.

’Your new calling ties into one of those powers,’ he silently confirmed, consulting his tablet.

Blade and Kyria were the two who had triggered the Rotten Leviathan’s Resurrection. Either one might set off something else or squash it entirely before it could develop. Or maybe they’d miss it altogether, given Blade’s new style.

That unpredictability was what made immersive virtual reality so entertaining. Even Mawyer, with his wealth of data, couldn’t foresee every twist.

"It’s Blade, after all," Mawyer said aloud, prompting his AI assistant to power on. "Last time, I regretted not having popcorn and soda."

"Shall I order refreshments?" the AI asked.

"Yes," Mawyer replied.

He fell silent again, eyes fixed on his displays, itching to see the event unfold. More and more of his screens blinked to life as the minutes passed.

Some displays merged, tracking groups of players who were teaming up to secure maximum contribution in the Rotten Leviathan Resurrection Event. The feed following Blake merged with another that showed a player in a general’s hat.

Blake and Kyria had reunited in the game world.

"Are you... the one we played volleyball against?" Blake asked.

Silence enveloped him and the group. Joel and Wolfang stared, stunned, while onlookers had no idea what they were talking about.

Mawyer leaned forward.

"You’re... that beautiful woman?" Blake asked.

Mawyer gave a low whistle. "Hehe. You’re never going to learn how to talk to people, Blade."

The sudden shift on the other side was so palpable that even Mawyer could sense it from his room. Not only had Blake referred to Kyria as a woman—and a beautiful one at that—but he did so right in front of her team: Wolfang, Lily Left, and several of Kyria’s other close teammates.

All of them heard Blake’s question.

Kyria could have simply tilted her head and looked at him oddly, which would have been enough to dismiss his comment as silly. But her stunned silence only confirmed to everyone that they had heard him correctly—and that Blake had truly said what they thought he did.