Treading through the pale mountains, An sensed that they weren't alone. For every two Mountain Wolves he killed, he encountered another person or team. Of course, no one was eager to get into trouble in such an unpredictable environment—unless your name was An or Shreya. Most people quickly turned and walked the other way when they saw him, sensing danger in his presence.
Tam had mentioned that there were about 50 Awakened people worldwide, and surprisingly, three of them were Vietnamese. So, it wasn't absurd to assume at least 25 Awakened individuals were somewhere in these mountains, already strong enough to farm Mountain Wolves.
But Tam and An? They weren't anywhere near that level. They were here because An was a menace, dragging Tam into danger whether he liked it or not.
Your level has increased to 8.
The status board flashed with the usual update after An killed his—what was it now?—how-many Mountain Wolf of the day.
"So," An turned to look at Tam, "Why are you following me?"
He added with a smirk, "You're not getting any EXP because you didn't participate in the kill. The other option is if we're in a party, but we haven't done that."
Tam scratched his head sheepishly. "Well... I... I wanted to learn. And I think you're a good teacher. You've been monologuing this whole time."
An raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Monologuing?" He thought for a second. "Well, force of habit." He muttered, shaking his head.
An glanced around, spotting a flower nearby. He picked it, ate it, and continued.
"Pain is the best teacher," he said, his voice casual. "Anyone else can only offer you theories. Pick up a rock and go kill a Grey Wolf."
Tam, ever gullible and lacking free will, didn't hesitate. He turned around and started heading back down the mountain immediately.
An watched him go, the young man disappearing around a corner. He muttered under his breath, "Men like you... they die young."
Not ten seconds later, as An began walking again, he heard someone call out to him.
"Hey, An? These guys wanna talk to you—"
It was Tam's voice.
An turned to see Tam walking back toward him, followed by a group of five men. One of them stood out, a tall figure with bright blue hair—a rare trait for an Awakened Player. The man studied An from a distance, adjusting his eyeglasses with an air of quiet confidence.
"Well... is that the Asian man who fought with Shreya?" the man muttered under his breath. "I thought he would be more noticeable." (spoken in English)
"He is... no normal," Tam replied, also in English.
The man with the blue hair signaled for his team to stay back, stepping forward to face An directly.
"Hello, my name is Steve Rogers," he said, offering a polite, yet slightly formal tone. "I'm recruiting strong individuals. Join my guild."
An stared at him, confused. "Mày đang nói gì vậy?"[1] he replied in Vietnamese, his voice flat.
"..."
"..."
An and Steve exchanged an awkward stare. Tam winced.
"Oh, he doesn't speak English," Tam explained awkwardly.
Steve coughed, looking a bit flustered, before signaling for Tam to come closer.
"Tell him what I just said."
Tam nodded and turned to An.
"He said he's Steve Rogers, he's recruiting strong people for his guild and wanted to invite you." (spoken in Vietnamese)
An barely hesitated. "Tell him no." (spoken in Vietnamese)
Tam turned to Steve and translated. "He said no." (spoken in English)
Before Steve could attempt to convince him further, another voice cut through the tense moment.
"Well, well, well..."
It was a deep voice, speaking in Hindi, and it came from someone approaching from behind An.
[1] Mày = rude word for "you", only used among close friends or full-blown enemy
Full sentence: "What are you saying?"