The other Zenith Protocol members seemed amused by the situation, while I thought of how to respond. Aurinn spoke quietly. “Boss probably has an offer. He’s not as scary as he looks. You should hear him out.”
FireBrand didn’t exactly look scary by appearance. I’d seen similar dudes running burger joints in New York. His reputation was what made me hesitate. This was the undisputed second best player in all of Wonderwind, who repeatedly scored higher in tournaments than Annath, even rivaling Dragrath. He was quite possibly the only mage player whose quick-casting was on a similar level as Veyra’s.
I finished the last bite of my taco and wiped my hands on a napkin, picking up my tray as I stood. “I’ve got five minutes as well,” I said.
Five minutes, as in, the rest of my day’s schedule was entirely free.
I walked to the tray return rack, placing my dishes there. Then I turned to FireBrand and asked, “Is it a serious matter?”
“Casual business,” he said. “Though private. We can talk in our team room.”
“You don’t mind me snooping?”
“I’ll trust you not to record anything confidential,” he said. “There’s not much you can learn anyway.”
I followed him past a few hallways in the player area. I doubted I’d learn anything important from visiting, since I’d already knocked Henrift out, but I found myself strangely interested. It wasn’t every day that players were invited to hang out with the best guild in the world. The child in me was still genuinely interested in seeing what team rooms in Worlds had inside.
FireBrand unlocked a door that read “Zenith Protocol” with an electric key fob. We entered, and he must have seen the curiosity in my eyes, as I could have sworn he smirked from my reaction, though his face was too stoic to tell his thoughts for sure.
The team room was much nicer than any backstage rooms I’d seen in Worlds itself, and surprisingly large, fitting five computer setups and ten game pods with room to spare for couches and furniture. A brand new scent came from them all. A team banner had been hung on the wall, and the carpets were blue to match the Guild's colors.
Their team manager was studying graphs and analytics on a three-monitor setup with two players standing on both sides of him. A television next to them displayed an ongoing fight with Zenith Protocol members taking part in the dungeon speedrun tournament.
Other than that, only one player was napping on the couch, whose face I didn’t immediately recognize. FireBrand walked past him, to the back of the room, where he opened another door to a smaller negotiations room. He ignored all of the coffee dispensers and snacks in the room and talked to me while standing.
“I originally hoped to contact Veyra along with you, but I was informed she left the event already,” FireBrand said.
I wondered who gave him that information, but he continued speaking before I could ask. “I admit, I initially believed the cheating allegations. Veyra is very good. Unnaturally good. Quick-casting is the most underused skill in the game. It’s just too difficult. The developers themselves think it’s more of a novelty feature next to system casting. To cast faster than the system already requires meditation from most.”
I'm talking to a god right now. Every thought in my head came with doubts, and I couldn't decide what words I could and couldn't say. Just his presence made me act like a weirdo, as if a wrong move would end in divine punishment killing me on the spot.
But reputation aside, in real life FireBrand was just a dude. His name was Ragnar.
Nope, nevermind, that name was still badass. He was a legend.
But it wasn't like I was trying to join his guild or gain his favor. Zenith Protocol was already pretty much our enemy. Logically, I didn't have any reason to get nervous around him. And I was interested to see how he'd react if I talked with him casually, as if he was a friend.
“Yeah, Veyra is insane,” I said. “I tried casting spells once. I’m not cut-out for it. I like to just slash around.”
His cheek lines rose ever so slightly. “You remind me a lot of the old SoulShadow. In his prime, he could have matched you. You've outdone him. There is no question.”
And next it's Veyra's turn to beat you, I thought, but outwardly, I lowered my head with honest respect and said, “Thank you. I'm happy to hear that from you.”
“I would also like relay to Veyra that I see her as an honest rival,” FireBrand said. “Her level of quick-casting requires way more dedication than any diploma ever will.”
“My Goddess will be ecstatic to hear that,” I said. “Thank you.”
He let out a small chuckle. “That said, there are two reasons I wanted to talk to you. I want to see Annath lose tomorrow. Her apology was the most half-assed thing I've ever seen, to a former guild mate no less. Someone needs to put her in her place.” He leaned against the wall, and the sharp eyes of a living legend faced me. “But you won't win. Not with your current equipment.”
I needed effort to keep myself calm. “You’re not wrong,” I admitted.
He observed me, as if trying to gauge how confident I was in our victory, and I felt like he saw straight through me. “I have an item that might help you,” he said. “Open your trade offers.”
“Trade offers?” I asked. “Right now?”
He nodded, and I pulled my phone from my pocket. I saw the notification.
[You have received a gift from FireBrand. Spirit Of Dawnsong (Unique Legendary Ring) will be moved to your inventory. Accept? y/n]
I raised my eyebrows and opened the item’s details.
Spirit Of Dawnsong
Item Type: Legendary Unique Ring
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Required Character Level: 235
Stats:
-
+10% Cooldown Reduction
-
+500 Spell Power
Abilities:
The Calm Of Dawn (Passive): The spirit of Dawnsong yearns for peace, yet she cannot deny her love for playful chaos. Offensive spells cast Slow Heal on the nearest ally target. The amount healed is 25% of the damage dealt (reduced to 6.25% for monsters).
“Offer that to Veyra for me,” FireBrand said. “Take this as my apology for not defending her from the cheating allegations.”
“Wow,” I said, my mouth hanging open. “Just... Thank you, oh my god. I’m not sure if she’ll like this, though.”
“She'll hate it,” FireBrand said with a light chuckle. “If used correctly, it will offer you a chance for the finals.”
I raised my eyebrow. The 25% heal really wouldn’t benefit us much. Or was I wrong?
FireBrand said nothing about it. His eyes turned serious as he said, “And the second reason I invited you here: I want to make an offer to buy The Godripper from you.”
“Wait,” I said, head perking up. “How do you know I have that?”
“My guild member has a skill to see which items drop from a boss he contributed damage to,” FireBrand said. “It also works on event bosses. The skill doesn’t specify who the items drop to, but we know the names and stats of each item that Embridge dropped. From your reaction, it looks like Godripper did indeed drop to you.”
I blinked back at him. “I do have it, yes.”
“I’ll buy it for two million gold.”
Holy shit. I tried not to show surprise, but my eyes opened wide on their own. Two million gold. For a single item. A mythic item, sure, but that was an absurd amount of money. I could start looking at buying mansions soon.
“We don’t need it immediately,” FireBrand said. “Think about the offer. If you plan on selling it, contact EnigmaMind, my manager.”
“Are you sure the sword is worth two million?” I asked.
“For an item that increases clear speed, absolutely,” he said. “The only reason it won’t go for more is because there’s a chance of losing it when it’s put into use. Wonderwind items aren’t ever secure investments. Two million, and we'll buy it.”
He glanced at the clock, noting that time was up. He placed his hand on the door handle, and it didn't look like he intended to talk more.
“Offer my gift to Veyra,” he said. “And go beat Annath for me. Destroy her at least once.”
I nodded. “We’ll try our best.”
Laughter came from the team room. The sofas had filled up with players, now with faces I definitely recognized. This was Zenith Protocol’s main team—the same players that fought with FireBrand on the Guild PvP stage. I spotted Creator, the rank two sword fighter player in the world, who was dozing off, and Merami, the short Japanese woman, rank two support mage. They were both the second best at their roles, beaten only by the gods themselves.
A third tan-skinned man at the edge of the couch spotted me. His face lit up, and he stood up. “No way, is that Assassin A?” he blurted out.
I paused, taking in a moment to recognize him. He was GodWall, the best tank player in the game, rank 6 on the global leaderboard. The Brazilian man walked up to me with a grin and offered a handshake.
Surprised, I lifted my hand ever so slightly. He clutched my hand with both of his, shaking hands. “I’m GodWall, nice to meet you.” He glanced back at his friends. “This kid’s an absolute legend.”
Merami sighed. “Yes, we know who he is.”
“Is he here for a guild invite?” GodWall asked his boss.
FireBrand shook his head, amused.
“He’s definitely good enough, is he not?” GodWall asked. “Can I ask, how the hell did you get ten percent contribution damage on Embridge?”
“Uh,” I said. “No comment.”
He laughed. Behind him, Merami said, “It was the Sablethorn and Evisceration combo, wasn’t it? A better question is, how did you get max stacks on the boss?”
“Trade secret,” I said.
She gave me a look, while GodWall continued grinning at me. “So do we offer him an invite, Boss?” he asked.
“This is not the time or place to discuss invitations,” FireBrand said in a flat tone. “My time is running out. Make sure to escort him out before the match review starts.”
He exited, leaving us in the room. I found myself alone with the best guild in the world.
“By the way,” Creator asked through a yawn. “You’re using an exploit with Shadow Dash, aren’t you? I looked at the skill’s details, and I’m fairly sure it’s not supposed to travel that fast.”
“The written skill details don’t seem to matter if you don’t use system casting,” I said. “It’s a wonky skill.”
“Really?” Creator said. “You might honestly be better at the skill than Dragrath.”
Are these guys actually studying my gameplay? I thought. They continued asking questions. I couldn’t believe I was actually talking to these same guys I used to look up to as unreachable elites. I wouldn’t have even considered assassinating any of these players just a few months ago, simply because they were all too good. They'd likely still crush me in a duel; everyone here was leagues better than the opponents we fought on the three versus three stage.
Yet, all of them knew so much about me, and they were genuinely interested in asking me how I practiced.
I gave non-answers to most questions, not revealing much, which only made them ask more. They didn’t take offense when I didn’t reveal information. GodWall just laughed, patting me in the back and saying that I was probably the best eighteen year old player he had ever seen. They also asked about Veyra, and how I found her.
Soon after that, the managers returned to the room with a lot more players, about to start their match review. Merami and GodWall wished me goodbye and good luck against Annath for tomorrow.
I left the room, and for a while, I just stood there, processing what had just happened.
I chuckled, finding a wide grin glued to my face. I must have looked like a complete idiot as I walked through the hallways.
I pulled up my phone to send Veyra a message.
Assassin: “Holy shit, I just got invited to Zenith Protocol’s team room!!”
She was still online on her phone and read it right away.
Veyra: “Oh wow, really? :o How was it?”
Assassin: “I didn’t expect it to be so awesome, honestly. Zenith Protocol might actually be a guild where the members aren’t assholes. Oh, and I spoke to FireBrand as well. He’s rooting for us tomorrow. And he said he's your fan. He sees you as a rival.”
Veyra didn’t have time to respond as I spammed my messages too fast out of excitement.
Assassin: “Also he wanted to apologize to you for not supporting you with the cheating allegations.”
Assassin: “And he wanted me to give you a gift. 1 sec, check your trade offers.”
I sent the item to her on my phone, the same way FireBrand had sent it to me. She accepted it, and was silent for a minute, probably studying its effects.
Veyra: “Well, that’s an odd gift. It’s not bad, I suppose.”
Assassin: “He said that if we use it correctly, we might have a chance against Annath. Not sure what he meant.”
Veyra: “Hmmmmm…”
Assassin: “Oh, and he wanted to buy Godripper. Maybe if I sell it fast, we can buy something to upgrade your gear?”
The moment I sent that, something hit me. FireBrand hadn’t mentioned the mythic robe I had at all. Emerald Aurora. He must have known I had the robe as well. Did he not want it? Surely, Merami would have benefited greatly from the robe.
Hold on, I thought, an idea coming to me. I checked the robe’s stats again.
Emerald Aurora
Item Type: Mythic Robe
Required Character Level: 259
Stats:
-
+4000 Spell Power
-
+60 Defence
-
+20% Cooldown Reduction
-
+100% All Resistances
-
+4 to All Healing Skills
Abilities:
Emerald Aurora (Passive): Casting a healing effect strengthens the robe’s emerald gemstone, enhancing the next healing ability by 10% and applying a blessing to the target. Blessings can stack up to 10 per target.
Emerald Aurora (Active): Consume the power stored in Emerald Aurora, activating all blessings. Each blessing increases the target’s all resistances by 50, and constantly heals the target for 1% of missing health every second.
I stared at the abilities for a second. My cheek lines slowly rose as I finally understood FireBrand’s idea. He did indeed know we had this robe. His ring wasn’t the overpowered item to defeat Annath. The secret was in this robe.
Assassin: “I think I got it. Check your trade offers again. I think I know how we can match Annath tomorrow.”
20 chapters ahead on !