—-


    Before allowing Kieran to log back into Zenith Online, Dr. Riley had him do onest thing:y down on the sizeable doctor’s bed in the middle of the medical room. When he rested on the mattress, Kieran was astonished by howfortable it was. Even his bed, which was famed for its incredible softness, couldn’tpare.


    The material of the medical bed was some type of fiber Kieran had never seen before, and it was filled with a cont that tended to any muscle fatigue the patient may suffer from. As a result, Kieran was overwhelmed by an enjoyable feeling.


    “You like it, don’t you? It’s the newest model of the Hyper-Regeneration Bed. Even someone suffering from chronic muscr-degenerative pain can feel some relief from it. Anyhow, I need to monitor you because the advertisements mentioned that this game is extremely beneficial for its yer. I want to see how true that is,” Dr. Riley said.


    All the while, she clicked a few buttons that caused a few changes to the bed. Many futuristic monitors moved overhead, disying all of Kieran’s vital information, primarily his brain waves. She wanted to see how the VR Devices interacted with the human mind since it was information that the game’s creator generally didn’t disclose.


    ‘The Gamer Republic may have imed to have created this game, but I doubt they’re in possession of such cutting edge technology. There should be another shadowy figure behind, and although it might be dangerous to pry into this information, I can’t help it. I’m an information addict,’ Dr. Riley giggled to herself.


    Kieran felt as if she resembled a sneaky toddler with the way she snickered and giggled by his side, but he didn’t mention too much about it. Instead, he prepared to log back into the game immediately. Although there was ample time to level up, and he wasn’t particrly behind any of the other pro gamers, he could only take advantage of a few opportunities in the early game before they vanished.


    ‘I need toplete that before the baseline of the first update is reached. It’ll be far more difficult to aplish if the pain setting mirrors life identically,’ Kieran thought. Even though his Stamina drained quite fast, even in the game’s current state where it wasn’t as close to reality as possible, it’d only worsen in the future._-.


    And, from what Kieran remembered, there were a few aplishments that would be easier toplete if done before that happened. One of which rested inside the Aeredale Kingdom.


    “Is that everything? Am I good to log in now?” Kieran asked. He was growing impatient and teeming with energy because of the X-hancer. He wished to find out how his current state would affect his game experience.


    “All set. Go on and enjoy yourself,” Dr. Riley said, giving Kieran the okay.


    Without a moment’s hesitation, Kieran ced the VR Helmet on his head and entered the virtual pathwayposed of countless digital arcs that intertwined to form a pattern that would put someone in a trance. Within a few seconds, Kieran awoke to the familiar setting of the inn room.


    Because the quality of this inn was far better than the Humble Inn, the Well-Rested buff was at Stage Two. Compared to the first stage, which made it so the yer received a 50% experience acquisition buff and exhausted 50% less Stamina for the next 3 hours, the second stage was four times better in terms of duration.


    While it was the perfect buff for yers, it was only avable to those who had logged out for more than a day in-game. Otherwise, the yer would only receive a slightly more potent version of the buff’s first stage.


    After logging in, Kieran immediately reached out to his teammates, asking them to meet him at the city’s gates. Because the quest was situated within the Barren Mountain Range, he would need to return there.


    This time, the only difference was that instead of heading towards the area filled exclusively with goblins, Kieran intended to explore the area closer to Aeredale City.


    Not only were the monsters more powerful, but it was the zone rted to the Adventurer Guild’s request. Obtaining a Gold Adventurer Badge was paramount inpleting his objectives, so it was currently the only matter on his agenda. It was the lowest badge possible to aplish his goals.


    Spending time as a Trainee, Bronze, or Silver Adventurer was not something he intended to do. Moreover, he didn’t wish for his allies to do the same either, which is why he stressed that they increase their World Fame. Although the Adventurer Guild employed a notoriety system known as Adventurer Prestige, increasing World Fame was helpful in the Merchant Association, where one could obtain a wide variety of items, materials, and equipment.


    As long as their World Fame was high enough, a yer stood a chance of acquiring an official membership with the association. Only individuals who held this membership could gain ess to their Auction Houses and auctions in general.


    Furthermore, other organizations that had yet to appear also relied upon this identification standard.


    After approximately 15 minutes of waiting, Bastion, Altair, and the others gathered in front of Kieran; however, there was also a new face he had never seen before, at least not yet.


    ‘Why does this dude seem familiar?’ Kieran wondered.


    Despite having a somewhat slim frame, the individual before possessed a physique brimming with vigor. More importantly, two ovepping shields strapped to his back protruded from his sides at an angle.


    ‘Shields? Two of them?’ Kieran thought before quickly analyzing the person before him. His short and curly ck was slicked back, highlighting his defined face, especially his more-so silverish-blue eyes that seemed lively.


    “I take it that you’re the Aatrox I’ve heard nothing but good things about. The name’s Nemean, and my brother Bastion here has told me that you require an additional party member,” Nemean said while extending his hand.


    Kieran grasped his hand while ncing at Bastion. “Your brother?”


    “Not literally. We’ve gamed before in some earlier titles, and he has surprisingly chosen to return to the gaming scene. He’s arguably a better tank than I am, except he does unorthodox and weird basically,” Bastion admitted with a nonchnt shrug.


    Kieran and Nemean stood eye to eye at the same exact height of 185 centimeters. With his current frame, he certainly had the making to be an insane tank. But, Kieran wouldn’t just take Bastion’s word for it. He needed to witness Nemean’s ability with his own eyes.


    However, the name Nemean clicked inside Kieran’s head after a few seconds because there was a yer with that name who stood in the limelight of tanks in the past.


    ‘Is this the same Nemean regarded as the Shield Juggernaut?’ Kieran wondered. If that were true, Kieran already possessed a faint idea about Nemean’s capabilities. What mystified Kieran currently was why Nemean rose to fame while Bastion seemingly vanished. Could something have happened between them?


    ‘Is this Nemean, who was viewed as an upstanding person, really one of those vile backstabbers?’ Kieran wondered while maintaining a stoic gaze. Although he had his spections, he chose to give Nemean the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he was just overthinking things, and it was another matter that led Bastion to disappear.


    “Why the sour look? Did I do something wrong?” Nemeanmented when he felt Kieran’s unusually intense gaze. It was as if a father was looking to scold their child for having done something wrong.


    “Nah, he’s just got that type of face, bro. You know how the girls have resting bitch face? He has a resting lunatic face, and I’m sure you’ve seen his videos. He’s insane mechanically,” Bastion interjected.


    “You’ve done nothing wrong, but I do hope you maintain the party’s integrity. We will vet all neers, and if you fail to meet the standard, whether in potential or morally, I will personally expel you from the party,” Kieran said in a in tone.


    As a result, the atmosphere of the party grew quiet. Kieran was extremely serious after learning that there were secrets he was unaware of. And, from the way Dr. Riley was so interested in monitoring him, perhaps Zenith Online was more vital than he presumed.


    “I have no problem with that. At least you don’t mince words and make your expectations clear. I respect that quality,” Nemean said with a delighted grin. After being officially added to the party, Kieran was surprised by Nemean’s level—24. That was amongst the top of the leaderboards that opened upon having the first character promote their ss.


    Aatrox, on the other hand, was ranked 16th globally, while Nemean was 6th. Only a handful of people had obtained Lv.25.


    Once he learned of Nemean’s level, Kieran turned his head to the side away from Aeredale City’s entrance. He looked towards the east and then the west before moving east.


    The party followed closely behind, but only Altair and Cyr could genuinely keep up once he unleashed the entirety of his Agility.


    “Damn it! Is a Warrior supposed to be so fast? I thought that was an advantage reserved for the Thief ss,” Bastion groaned. He was the worst of all, even worse than Alice, who had officially promoted to an Elementalist, a mage specializing in weaponizing the elements. This was one of the few early sses that opened up what was known as Elemental Affinity.


    “Well, he did tell you that you should add some points to Agility, but you didn’t listen well,” Seramented to the side in a low voice.


    Bastion shot her a gaze that made her yelp and turn her head away. However, Alice silently looked at the two beforeing to Sera’s defense. “She’s right. He had some decent advice, but you didn’t heed it. Just change it in the future when you level up.”


    “Bah… why do I feel like my original teammates are teaming up on me for someone else? It’s not fair, you know!” Bastionined.


    “Hey, it’s the truth. Don’t try to guilt trip us,” Alicemented indifferently.


    Afterward, Bastion could only sigh and shake his head in defeat before following the three in front. Meanwhile, Nemean quietly absorbed the interaction of the party. The atmosphere felt quite homely, so he had nothing toment about thus far.


    Instead, the only thing on his mind was engaging inbat with the party to see if they synergized well.