Five people stood in front of a decorated wooden statue. IgnisBellator looked somewhat similar to what Kai knew her as in real life, but there were many differences; the most noticeable being her long red hair. There was another person he once knew who had the same hair once.
Kai remembered a face, smiling as she noticed him looking towards her in the middle of a chaotic battlefield. Pheonix_Ressurect.
She actually had some similarities with Sora, but her face was slightly different. She didn't have that deathly stare he was so familiar with. Neither did she carry herself like an experienced fighter.
When he had met Phoenix_Ressurect in his past life, it was quite down the line—around level 70–80. She was a vice leader of a famous guild. She didn't do much leading, but on the battlefield, she was a force to deal with—that gameplay alone had made her such an iconic figure in his last timeline.
If she was back in this world too, and chose to play the game, Kai knew she wouldn't remain undiscovered. Sooner or later, he would be able to find her—and all the others.
Zayden, on the other hand—or as his ID said, ZayZayNoir—was still in his beginner clothes. The simple monk-like dress, common attire in Stonebinder City, was red and black. The guy, however, had "tweaked" his build a lot—making himself look like an entirely different guy from his real self. It wasn't anything bad; most people did that, and it was quite fun, so why not? Kai himself had made himself much more manly in his last timeline. He was over such childishness now, though.
"Prince, Mimi—meet Zayden and Bella," Damian introduced his club members to his mom. Mimi already knew them—they were all in the same class. "They will come play with us from now on."
"Oh! Hello," his mother greeted them, while he also received a text from her in a chat group consisting of him, Mimi, and her. 'Kai, if you were my daughter, I would have made you look just as pretty. Look at her shiny hair..' Followed by Mimi's laughing cat stickers. A vein popped on Kai's head, but he ignored the two.
Sora didn't want him to reveal her true name, so Kai followed her wishes. That too was common in online games, especially in VRMMOs where they had to play a certain "role." Kai was about to take Bella to the inn so she could store her ride. He had already rented an extra room—his last one's storage was already full. The daily rent of 5 copper added up to 2 silver and 5 copper each real life day. He had money, and he could make more.
However, before he could tell them to follow him, suddenly a man dressed in attire similar to Zayden's—but much fancier, with gold and silver accessories and surrounded by many town guards—walked out of the busy market street, followed by a big crowd of players who all seemed to be fishing for the juicy mission an event like this was supposed to come with.
It was indeed something new—he had not seen anything similar on the forums either. Must be happening all over the Nexus Kin beginner towns at the same time.
The fancy-looking man finally came to a halt, positioning himself directly under the statue as he unfurled the scroll of parchment in his hand. He coughed twice, breathed in, and said out loud:
"By order of Lord Elric of Velbrun, steward of the Eastern Gardens and bearer of the Silver Crest, a call is hereby issued to all able Nexus Kin warriors, hunters, and defenders of repute. In recognition of valor, renown, and honorable conduct, select individuals shall be offered positions and pay as guards under my Lord's service. I, Sir Calden Rothmere, acting envoy of House Velbrun, shall remain in this town for no longer than six months, during which I shall observe and judge the worth of all who seek this honor."
Immediately, the interface updated:
[Story Progression: Second Chapter - The Call For The Worthy 2%]
"Silver Crest? One of the lords serving the Silver City king?" Bella murmured.
"Hey, wasn't the city we came from called the Silver City?" Zayden asked.
Bella nodded.
Mimi turned her head to the side in confusion. "A recruitment as guards for a noble lord? Why would they come so far? How does it relate to our story?"
"There wasn't any such notice in the city.." Bella said.
"Were there Nexus Kin people in the city?" Prince asked.
"I don't know.." Zayden said. "There were some people with weird alien limbs and eyes though, like you three.." Then, looking at Mimi, he asked in confusion, "What is that? Wings?"
"Yeah, aren't they pretty?" Mimi said, turning around and spreading the wings for them to look.
Zayden was nodding approvingly, though Bella had a look on her face that made Kai chuckle. Seeing him looking at her, Bella coughed in embarrassment, her cheeks turning red. Then she said, "I saw many such people working lower-tier jobs such as waiters, mercenaries for hire, drivers of wagons and such.."
"It's a progression mission. Nexus Kin can't enter Stonebinder cities unless someone high in the social ladder hires them and brings them in," Kai replied. "This is most likely one way to enter the city. There should be others. The guy didn't specify how this selection would work.. It should be based on levels and fame among NPCs."
"Meaning we need to do all the nice missions?" Prince asked.
"Not necessarily. If we're in the top five in all dungeon records, that would work too," Kai replied.
Across the crowd, Jor and Sherry waved their hands at them. Mimi also waved back, and Kai gestured for them to come over. He had called them too—must have gotten distracted because of the announcement.
"What now?" Zayden asked, looking around. The guy was only level 12.
"The plan was to enter the 10-person dungeon, but first you need to level up to 15. I'll take you with me once I show Bella where she can put her beast. Everyone else, meet me near The Grimhorn Den dungeon in around 20 minutes. Careful of the PKers," Kai said.