LancasterLaw looked him up and down, then read the entire application and replied simply, "I will approve this. But you need three people to start a club. If you have less than that after 15 days, I will have to close it down."
Kai nodded. He already knew about it.
There was also a Nyxfall Gaming Club in his last timeline. It was originally established as a simple video game club, but once Nyxfall picked up the pace, they became the Nyxfall club. They had even participated in the regionals and made it to the top eight. Kai knew the captain of the Nyxfall team very well. The guy had made his life difficult after learning that Kai had a gaming channel and ranked quite high on the leaderboards.
Kai was too much of a "solo" player to participate in offline events. However, he did follow the international championship with great interest, just like any other dedicated player of the game. Only two championships had taken place before they were gone, but both had been quite entertaining to watch.
Now that he had established an official Nyxfallclub, no one else would be able to create one in this school. Mimi was a guaranteed member if he asked, and he knew a couple of guys who would join in no time. Still, Kai took an hour designing a banner on his holo while sitting on the open playground bench, waiting for Mimi—she had an extra class to attend because her grades were below 45%. Even though it was a government school, the head principal always pushed for better results.
It was just an hour-long wait. Kai could take public transport, but he wanted to finish designing the banner and put it up on the notice board today. He was already a semester late in starting a new club. He had people in mind to invite, but if there were any hidden gems, he would love to recruit them. Even without that, he needed managers and regular players to join as well, so he could have a little army in case he needed more manpower. They would also benefit from his advanced knowledge.
LancasterLaw had probably not joined the game yet. Maybe he wouldn't in this timeline. But Kai knew the guy better than most teachers, and when it came to joining offline matches, he would prove invaluable.
Kai finished the banner in under 40 minutes and sent it as a request to be published by the committee via email from his student ID. He was proficient in design after making so many thumbnails for his gaming videos.
Soon, Mimi arrived, and they headed for the gate as her father had already come to pick them up. She was with her friend, Kai greeted her but didn't talk much. He didn't know her well, though she seemed to know quite a bit about him—thanks to Mimi's oversharing.
As they walked, Kai noticed a girl looking at him from the side. She was walking in the opposite direction a bit ahead of them.
He vaguely recognized her as one of the top students in his class. Her name was always around him in tests.
Sora Quinn.
She was also on the student committee, so she must have seen his banner request. Even though she was staring at him rather rudely, Kai simply smiled and walked past her, acknowledging her as any normal classmate would.
Inside Mimi's hoover, Kai instructed her on what beginner things to do in the game, using his holo screen. Her friend—Lizzy—also showed interest. Seeing how seriously they were discussing it, she said she'd buy the game and see if she could play with them. Kai and Mimi warmly encouraged her. He could see the surprise on her face as he spoke to her. He had mostly ignored her before, so he understood her reaction.
When he returned home, Kai ate lunch and continued the game.
He jumped down from the tree branch. The weird tree boss monster he had fought earlier had already respawned and was once again guarding the bridge. Kai ignored him. If it had been anyone else, they would have spat blood at seeing all their efforts go to waste. But Kai had already sent an arrow to the other side earlier, so he simply used his full MP bar and crossed the bridge in an instant.
The walk through the meadow was soothing. Some random low-leveled monsters got in his way, but they couldn't even take a full hit from his arrow before dying. The village in the distance grew closer and closer. However, something felt strange.
He was close enough, yet he couldn't see any villagers out and about. There were no children playing, no women chatting. The place felt empty.
However, as Kai entered the village, he noticed some shops open with their owners inside, working on their crafts. Most of the village doors were barred shut. A few villagers could be seen hurrying along, finishing their work as if afraid someone would catch them.
Kai walked up to a small general store and asked if the shopkeeper had any medicine or health recovery food items. The man did.
Kai had looted enough silver coins to last him a while without selling his monster loot, so he decided to use those. Prices in small villages like this were never ideal.
After buying the items, Kai used his neural thought projection to ask, "Is there a bigger village or Stonebinder city nearby?"
The shopkeeper, looking half-awake, was startled by the sudden question. "Ah.. Yes. To the west, after passing through three villages the same size as ours, you'll find Somnium. It's the largest in the west."
Kai nodded, then asked, "What's wrong with your village? Why does it feel like everyone is terrified of something?"
The shop owner paused in his work, shooting Kai a glare—less threatening and more frustrated, as if the answer was obvious. Then, after taking a second look at him, he sighed and said, "I see.. You're a traveler and haven't come across the illness yet."
"Illness?" Kai asked, sensing a juicy mission incoming.