Chapter 814 - Boys' trip

“What is this guy doing here?” Morwag asks, his tone surprisingly calm. “And what does he keep smirking at?”

“Why wouldn’t I be smiling? The day is nice, the food is great, and I’m surrounded by my friends. I’m blessed!” The lumoran called Brich smiles widely.

“Are we waiting for someone else?” Weslin asks, cutting in before Brich can further irritate the most demon demon to ever demon.

“Yes,” I nod. “The most cowardly guy to ever exist.”

That causes Brich to perk up again. He turns away from Morwag and looks at me. “I didn’t know young Savant would be coming as well.”

“Why not? I bet he doesn't have anything better to do,” I snort, leaning back.

All four of us are currently sitting around a table on a terrace that has no building below it. Nothing blocks the view that opens into the vast canyons of the 4th floor of Beyond. On the table, there is already plenty of food and several drinks. As we eat the breakfast I paid for, I make a mental note to have my guild reimburse me. I definitely consider this a business expense.

Everyone here has brought their equipment, whether it be armor, weapons, or travel bags. In Brich’s case, it is the massive metal armor he wears even as he sits, his winged helmet resting on the table. At his waist hangs the Ego weapon, Calvorn, and next to him a massive bag with who knows how many items to test for the mora trio.

“You haven’t told me what your plan is,” Morwag says, addressing me this time.

In answer, I simply shrug. “It is mostly because I make it up as I go. But don’t pretend you have anything better to do. Before you return to the tutorial and get thrown out, you might as well explore Beyond a little bit with us. Don’t tell me you weren’t curious about what keeps creating lurkers or what is on the surface.”

“I have no need for such silly lies,” the demon answers, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. “I just question the company you have brought.”

“Well, it’s not like I know that many people. My group is doing their own thing, as is my sister, so you guys are who I have left. But honestly, I wouldn’t change you for anything. You are the best companions I could-”

“Oh, just shut up,” Morwag snorts, waving at a waitress to bring more of the snack he has been enjoying.

When I look around, I notice the attention we are getting. After all, it is four S ranks all sitting together, planning an adventure. Even now, I wonder why I decided to put together this small group instead of going alone, and why I even contacted Savant through Crimson Forge.

Well, I like spending time with Weslin and Morwag. Even if he is a scary motherfucker, the demon is a reliable companion, that much was proven when we faced that Champion. As for Brich and Savant, I have always been curious about their abilities. I want to see more of Calvorn and sneakily use this expedition to learn from Brich. I’m also curious to see what the most cowardly guy in existence is up to and steal some knowledge from him, all while visiting the places I promised myself I would see.

Now that I think about it, we are all men. Isn’t this kind of like a boys' trip? What an amusing thought. I should come up with a cool name for us.

“Here you are!” Brich calls out just as Savant enters the terrace. That guy is still rocking long black hair, those same cowardly green eyes, and that annoying beauty mark under the corner of one eye.

For a moment, he looks around, his eyes stopping on Morwag and then on Weslin, before turning to Brich and finally landing on me.

I give it about a 40% chance that he will turn around and leave immediately.

In the end, he seems to clench his teeth and walks over. He takes off his bag, throws it on the ground, and sits in the free spot next to Brich.

“You told me it was only you and Brich,” he accuses me.

“Because you probably wouldn’t have joined if I told you about the other two,” I explain.

“Don’t you think that is a little bit deceiving?”

“Quite a bit deceiving and an asshole move,” I agree. “By the way, can you make your void heart start beating? I want to observe it.”

“No.”

“Well, maybe you will change your mind in a few minutes.”

“No.”

“Reliable as always, but look. You have Weslin here, and the guy is literally the best attendee when it comes to handling void energy. There is a lot you can learn from him.”

“That is the main reason I haven’t left yet,” Savant explains and turns to Weslin while nodding his head in a polite greeting. “It is nice to meet you. You can call me however you want, but my alias is Savant.”

Before Weslin can answer, it is Morwag who laughs out shortly. “Savant this, Savant that. Just how much hubris for a simple human. And that pathetic, shriveled thing lying dead in your chest that you dare to call a heart. Stolen from a dead demon weakling nonetheless.”

The pressure around the demon increases. Even though his eyes are the reddest of any demon I have seen so far, that red deepens even further as the wood and stone around us creak.

“Morwag.”

That single word I say causes silence to ensue, and the demon turns his head to me slowly.

Facing him, I smile. “I invited that guy here, and you threaten him right away? After he just found out I lied to him and decided to stay anyway? And during breakfast, no less? I know you will want to show him dominance or something, but at least wait for a while and do not do it in a way that feels like a spit to my face.”

That causes Morwag to smile back at me. After a few moments where we stare at each other, he smiles even more and says, “I apologize, I have been rude.”

“It is okay, I have also been irritated easily as of late and could have said it more nicely.”

“No, it was me who crossed the line first. Your reaction is well deserved.”

“Still, I feel a bit bad now that you’re being so reasonable. I feel like I jumped to a weird conclusion and expected you to act in a way you never intended to.”

“You guys gonna kiss or fight?” Brich asks excitedly, chewing on some pastry with his mouth wide open and his armor clinking with each move.

Morwag laughs and pulls his chair closer to Brich while still showing that charming smile. It causes Brich’s smile to waver a bit, but he still keeps it on and chews slower.

Sometimes I wonder, with the way skills work and how they can be influenced by how you perceive things, and even made stronger, do weird people have an advantage? Let’s say you have someone with a skill like Tess’s [Declaration]. If she were totally twisted and delusional and declared herself a Champion candidate, would it possibly work with a high enough skill level?

Would you just need to have that, even if unbased, totally delusional trust in yourself? And would that make the skill work because that is how you see it? All because you are a bit... well, not well in your mind and literally incapable of thinking differently?

I think there is something to that, and the most powerful people are twisted in some way. The question is what it says about Earth with us having so many powerful people.

Yet another disadvantage to a normal person like me.

“Rookie, why do you even want to meet these people first? What about Lochi and Duncan? You even used the guild’s information network to track them down,” Weslin asks.

I switch my attention to him and answer honestly, “Just a whim.”

“A whim?”

“Yeah, is it weird?”

“Out of all the things you did? Not at all. Overall, a bit weird? Slightly, but nothing too serious.” The best void user currently in Beyond smiles slightly. “Maybe you are just a bit nostalgic at times.”

“That could be,” I nod. “And you? You agreed to join quickly. How come?”

“Just a whim?” he smirks. “It sounded fun to go out on a big last adventure before I end my tutorial, especially with my fucking weird buds.”

“Weslin, you are too pure for this place. If Malika ever breaks your heart, I will avenge you terribly.”

That causes him to laugh even more, and he moves his hand through his white hair that is now a bit longer, with him already having a decent haircut. Surprisingly, Weslin is a handsome fella.

It is not like he wasn't with his bald head, but back then, he seemed to be in a more dangerous, austere way. Now he feels gentler, even if that personality didn't change at all.

“Well, why the hell not,” Weslin says. “Though it is a bit complicated with, well, you know, both of us being from two different freshly awakened planets. We might just give it a pause for a few years or decades before we find a way to meet each other.”

“Huh, I haven't thought of that. That sucks.”

“It does,” Brich agrees, and both Weslin and I turn to look at him.

The lumoran takes another bite and chews slowly, while Morwag just sits there with a straight face, spitting grape seeds at him every time he eats one.

My gaze shifts, and I look at Savant, who is giving all of us exactly the look I would expect from him.

“Brich, did you know Savi has a Sword of Aeons?” I ask.

“Of course I do,” the metal armor clinks as the lumoran nods. “Most of the bigger guilds knew it before he even joined Crimson Forge. Weakened or not, the Sword of Aeons is the greatest mana battery of Eladore. There are some people I know who collect them and have a few dozen, though they are rarely restored to the point that young Savant’s is. How many times has someone tried to kill you for it or steal it from you?” he asks Savant.

That unhealthily patient man thinks for a second before saying calmly, “Two times on the first floor of Beyond, once on the second, once on the third, and six times on the fourth.”

“How many of those times was it Crimson Forge or Brich?” I ask.

“About half of them,” Savant answers.

Brich doesn’t even seem ashamed, and Morwag spits another few seeds at his face. They fall behind his neck and down into his armor, causing Brich’s eyelid to twitch.

In the end, it is the lumoran who stands up first. “Well, gentlemen, why don’t we go? I just received information that Lyraen has left Beyond to go to his tutorial for a few days, so it should be safe for me to leave the Megacity.”

***

On the third floor of Beyond, we decide to stay for a day. In my case, it is to visit a certain catboy. As for the others, they get weirdly into sync and agree that it is a good idea to head outside during the night when the most powerful monsters appear.

The kind of monsters that like to wipe out entire outposts.

Obviously, the setting of this floor hasn't changed since the last time I was here. The day is safe, but during the night, you'd better be in an outpost, which ranges from a maximum capacity of 10, 100, 1,000, or 10,000 people. These outposts are safe zones at night, but only if the number of citizens doesn't exceed that maximum. Once it does, the safe zone function is permanently removed.

It is safe to say all citizens would rather band together and kill you from a distance than let you in during the night if the city is full.

So here we are in the Black Tower outpost, where the largest branch of the Primordial Knights on this floor is located. At the start of the day, Morwag, Weslin, and I head into the headquarters while Savant and Brich go do their own thing until night falls.

I don’t like the looks I get from the guild members as we walk through the hallway. Most of them clearly recognize me, and it reminds me once again that I have become the guild master here, even if I had hoped I would just collect my salary and abuse the resources a bit without any real responsibility.

We split up with Weslin, who goes to greet the branch leader, while I head downstairs to meet the Doc.