Chapter 57: A Suggestion!
Chapter 57
"Wait! Two weeks?!" Zen shouted in shock, his voice cracking through the room like a whip.
"Huh? No one told you yet?" The figure asked, and then he burst into laughter that echoed off the walls.
"Sir Tom." Aria called out as she noticed the figure standing at the door.
"Wa...wait! I slept for two weeks?" Zen asked again, his eyes wide, his body trembling as he shot out of his bed without even realizing it. He stared around the whole room as if hoping someone would say it was a lie.
"More like you were unconscious for two weeks." Tom shrugged casually, as if it were nothing more than a short nap.
"Still the same thing." Zen clapped back immediately, holding his head in confusion, his brows furrowing so tightly they almost touched.
"What? Is it a bad thing? If you ask me, it looked like you needed the rest." Rina said with a playful roll of her eyes, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, what if an urgent mission had popped up? Or what if an attack had hit our base or something?" Zen asked sharply, his gaze darting from one person to the other, his tone filled with a mixture of frustration and panic.
"We definitely wouldn’t have needed your help except to use you as cannon fodder or something." Erin replied coldly, her words sharp enough to slice through the air as her icy glare settled on him.
"That’s cold, Erin." Jace said softly, his eyes narrowing as he turned to her.
"I needed to tell him the truth regardless of how hurtful it is. That’s just me being me." Erin folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Besides, in a clan that has Seven A ranked Reavers, Three AA ranked Reavers, and two S ranked with a clan master who is an SS ranked, what can a D ranker do?"
"Actually, he is a C ranker now." Tom suddenly chimed in with a smirk.
"Is there a difference? The only difference is he has a Veil now. After that, he is still pretty useless." Erin scoffed.
{Ouch. And to think you were crushing on her. So sad.}
’Shut up you damn system!’ Zen roared inwardly, clenching his fists.
"Speaking of Veil." Tom said as he spun around, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned Zen from head to toe. "How did you awaken one? It shouldn’t have been possible after your trials, so how did you?"
"I...I don’t even know." Zen replied honestly as he rubbed the back of his head, his voice tinged with confusion.
"It’s understandable that he wouldn’t know," Aria suddenly spoke up, rising from the bed and folding her arms. "In fact, no one else knows. This is more like a glitch or something. Because there is no way he should have had an essence after awakening."
’A glitch huh? More like a buggy error that isn’t even registered in the game.’ Zen thought, his brows furrowing deeper.
"Now I’m really confused." Tom admitted as he scratched his head continuously, his expression turning serious as he continued to stare at Zen.
"Have you tried using it yet?" Kael asked eagerly, his eyes glinting with excitement like a kid waiting to see fireworks.
"I just woke up, damn it. How could I test it out? Especially when I know nothing of it." Zen asked, raising an eyebrow, his tone laced with irritation.
"Fair point." Kael muttered as he snapped his fingers before stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Either way, you are now an official C ranked Reaver. Sheesh! Your growth is remarkably fast if you ask me." Tom mumbled as he also stroked his chin, his tone carrying both admiration and suspicion.
"I guess I’m quite lucky." Zen said with a shrug, though his mind was far from calm.
{More like unlucky. Lol.}
"Right before I forget." Tom said as he facepalmed himself, almost dramatically. "The clan master asked me to deliver a message to you all and especially you, Zen."
"Really?" Rina asked, puffing up with excitement as her eyes sparkled and she leaned forward to hang on his words.
"He says he is very proud of you all for what you managed to pull off, and the fact that none of you died. So he is awarding you all a hundred MP each." Tom said with a wide smile on his face, his words filling the room with an air of satisfaction.
For a brief moment, the entire room grew silent, before Kael whistled loudly. Rina practically bounced in place, Erin’s lips twitched into the faintest smirk, and Jace closed his eyes as if savoring the relief of being acknowledged.
Zen, however, felt something else stirring within him—a mix of pride, confusion, and a flicker of fear. A hundred MP was a blessing, but in his mind, the real storm was only beginning.
"Woah! Now I’m four hundred MP away to the next rank." Kael exclaimed as he stretched his arms excitedly, his grin almost splitting his face.
"I’m just five hundred MP away." Rina added, her tone filled with eager determination.
"Three hundred MP away." Jace chimed in, his voice carrying a faint pride as though every step closer meant something significant.
"Same." Erin added coldly, though her lips curved just a little as if she was secretly pleased with her progress.
"Well, as the only D rank in the group, I’m just a hundred MP away to being a C rank too." Aria said with a wide grin on her face, clearly satisfied with her growth. She folded her arms as though daring anyone to downplay her accomplishment.
"How many MP do I have now, Sir Tom?" Zen asked, his brows knitted together in curiosity.
"From the gate raid and with this reward, you should have two hundred and fifty MP now. So you are four hundred and fifty MP away to being a B rank." Tom replied calmly, his eyes studying Zen with a mix of curiosity and seriousness.
’That’s quite far though.’ Zen thought with a sigh, scratching his temple.
"I still can’t believe it." Rina said as she stared at Zen over and over again, almost as if she was seeing him for the first time. "You were the newbie that just joined almost two months ago and now, you are a C rank? Even Thorne, who is the oldest D ranker in the clan, hasn’t moved up yet."
"That’s because he refuses to." Tom quickly cut in, his tone lowering. "Thorne really has a kind of tragic backstory, which I’m in no position to talk about."
"Tragic backstory?" Zen asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning forward slightly in interest.
"Yes. But as I said earlier..."
"You are in no position to talk about it. Got it." Aria quickly cut him off mid-sentence, rolling her eyes but clearly curious as well.
"Uhm, I have a suggestion to make." Rina said, raising her hand as if she was back in class answering a teacher. Her cheeks flushed a little, but her tone was firm.
"Which is?" Erin asked with a raised brow, though her voice already sounded skeptical.
"I feel like we have all been in a life and death situation, right?" Rina asked, her gaze sweeping across them. The others nodded in agreement. "And most of the quests—and when I say most, I mean the majority of the quests here deal with squad formation. So I was thinking, why not let us six form a squad together and co..."
"I will pass." Erin coldly interjected before turning away to leave. "Not interested in forming any team with weaklings." Her voice rang out sharp and decisive as she fully exited the room without sparing them another glance.
{Woah! Sassy. I like. You know, you have earned a plus one respect in my eyes for your choice in women.}
’Really? How many points of respect did I have initially?’ Zen thought with an unimpressed glare.
{-ten thousand}
’Fuck you.’ Zen cursed internally.
"So what now? Erin isn’t interested." Aria sighed in disappointment, slumping slightly.
"Neither am I." Zen added firmly, and everybody in the room glanced at him with mixed reactions. "No offense, but I’d rather work solo."
"Well, whatever you all want to do is your business. I came to deliver what the master asked me to say, and I will be off now. Oh! And Zen, the master asked me to tell you good job. He says he sees potential in you." Tom added, giving a meaningful look before finally exiting the room.
’The clan master sees potential in me? Really? I’ve made it onto his radar?’ Zen thought excitedly as a wide smile crept onto his face, his chest swelling with both pride and determination.
"Idea!" Kael’s sudden shout snapped everybody from their thoughts as he loudly snapped his fingers, the sound echoing like a trigger for mischief.
"What idea?" Aria asked with a furrowed brow, already sensing trouble from his grin.
"We know not what Zen’s Essence Veil is, right?" Kael asked, his eyes gleaming with mischief and curiosity. Everybody nodded, interest piqued. "So what better way to know than to put it in action?"
"Meaning? We should go for a raid?" Rina asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"No silly, that will be reckless. I propose a sparring match." Kael said with a grin stretching even wider, his eyes fixed on Zen like a predator that had just spotted prey.
"Sparring what?!" Zen shouted in shock, nearly stumbling backward at the suggestion. His voice cracked with disbelief, but Kael only smirked wider as if the matter was already settled.