"That's probably what happened to your parents."
Russell said just after he gulped down the last strands of Nereian Sea Ramen.
Maya listened attentively to the information she just heard, but her heart was racing faster and faster due to the anticipation that she could see her parents again that went missing a few years ago.
Clenching both her fist placed on top of her shorts over her fair-skinned legs, she spoke while trying her best to compose herself, although she knew that it was alright to break down in front of some strangers.
"The day they went missing, four years ago, they were coming home after visiting the grave of my father's parents, while my mother's parents are still living on Alastor to this day, but you see..."
She paused for a second before letting out a heartfelt sigh as she recalled the moments she spent with her parents whom she missed so much that it's only her job as a sales clerk that barely distracts her from thinking about them every time.
...
Russell — who was listening to Maya's words of longingness — felt a slight chill on his scalp as his thoughts were drifting into something.
It's the same with Amelie who was somehow bombarding him with questions in his head through their Chaos connection.
<Russell, her cautiousness disappeared. And she seemed to trust us out of nowhere. Do you have any idea why?>
'That's what I wanted to know, too.'
Normally, any intruder especially in this kind of world where the System, stats, skills, and artifacts exist, would certainly be cautious if someone intrudes on their home as the capacity brought by the existence of skills or anything related makes people easily kill or be killed.
<I don't know, maybe it's because of her parents, is like her kryptonite.>
<What's kryptonite?>
Russell almost choked on the ramen broth as he realized that the word 'kryptonite' didn't exist in this world.
'I should be more careful about spilling words from my previous life.'
He lampooned inwardly before he replied to Amelie via telepathy.
<Anyway, ask her these questions...>
...
"Do you trust us?"
Amelie asked Maya as they finished eating the bowl of Nereian Sea Ramen. Although Russell told her to ask such a question, she also wanted to ask it herself about Maya who was initially cautious, but as if a switch was flipped, she became somehow docile out of nowhere.
"Yes, it's because I'm certain you have any idea about my parents... You wouldn't say it out of nowhere if that's not the case right...
"And... I'll do whatever you want, just let me see them again."
<Wow, she's a trusting person considering my out of this society outfit.>
Russell almost chortled, breaking his character necessary for this moment, at Amelie's words that ran through his mind, but he noticed Amelie's get up, a simple black t-shirt and black pants that didn't match the shoulder-length black veil she's using to slightly cover her face.
After composing himself, silently restraining himself from letting out a laugh, Russell asked thoughtfully.
"Maya... I have a question first, did you know that we were coming here?"
Maya slightly flinched that if the person she was talking with didn't have a perception stat, it won't be noticeable. After a few seconds, she looked at Russell's side who was wearing a dirty white mask.
"Hmm... to be honest, on my way home, I noticed you two following me..."
"You're an assassin, right?"
Russell suddenly asked, causing Maya's eyes to dilate a little.
"You... you have Status Appraisal Skill!?"
Status Appraisal Skill was not something a player could just obtain via Skillbook as it costs hundreds of millions to buy one unless a player has a profession dedicated to scouting by which the System grants that player a general version of Status Appraisal Skill or have a contracted Constellation that would grant them a higher version of Status Appraisal Skill.
Russell didn't answer immediately, although he didn't use the 'Eye of Night (EX)' skill he has, he knew Maya from his unpublished novel.
She's the one who murdered or more like something that fell into the category of massacring the 'Shadow Guild' after discovering that they were the ones who enslaved her parents until their deaths.
Maya was one of the Untouched Elements that Russell wrote in his unpublished novel for a simple yet stupid reason after Maya massacred the Shadow Guild, she barely appeared in the story afterward. He remembered the lines in his unpublished novel just like when he first saw Maya in the Player General Store.
'Blood spilled everywhere in the office of the Shadow Guild where several renowned individuals' heads flew everywhere in the blink of an eye, with just a twinkling of a star, as Maya was sitting on the Shadow Guild: Guild Master's seat with her legs crossed up on the table with an indifferent look on her face'
As he recalled it, he thought inwardly, assessing one of the cockroach-like characters in his unpublished novel.
'Arthur is one of the dogs of the Shadow Guild, but he escaped Maya's wrath by a hair's breadth.'
Russell thought inwardly of the general thought of the lines he wrote about Arthur at that time, he felt like face-palming in front of Amelie and Maya due to his failed writing.
'I feel like I'm having PTSD by remembering the details of my unpublished novel.'
He lampooned inwardly but still thought of the lines he wrote.
'Arthur Wolfson was called by the Guild Master to take a vacation because of the new slaves he controlled by forcing them to sign a contract that would make them workers in an underground Strayed Dungeon that mines a certain type of mineral called Urum (UR). But a few days later, he received a piece of news that the Guild Master and the Shadow Guild's other heads were brutally murdered by an unknown individual.'
...
After a few seconds, he looked at Maya under the Mask of Night, then he took off the mask, prompting Amelie's words to bombard his head again.
'I'd say, telepathy is f*cking annoying sometimes.'
<Hey, hey! What are you doing?>
But Maya's words made Russell forget what Amelie just said.
"You... It's you... h-how? No..."
Maya said in incredulity as she stared intensely at Russell's average-looking face, seeing the deep blue short hair and deep black eyes.
"Yes. I'm the student you once encountered. Your memory is good."
Russell said inwardly, but Amelie's words in his head caused his fist to be clenched inconspicuously.
<You're lying by saying her memory is good. She's a sales clerk, it's impossible for her to just react like she remembers you all of a sudden the moment she saw you because of every faces she encounters every day. But I think I get your reaction...>
Amelie said after she quickly analyzed Maya's reaction and Russell's intention.
<You're right... if she nods at my words, she's hiding something, but if she cleared it as being mistaken... to be honest, I don't know, but I feel that something's amiss with her.>
Russell said as the chills on his scalp came back as he thought deliberately.
'Something's going on... something that I don't know.'
"Ye-yes... it's you, the student who bought a Crude Shortsword and some potions, right?"
Russell's eyes constricted, then Amelie spoke this time as she knew the story about how Russell met the Goddess of Night, connecting himself in the world of Chaos.
"You're right, he told me that story, you know. Your memory is truly good. By the way, what we want from you is to become our shared Personal Attendant in the Obelisk Academy."
<I don't believe her memory is that good. This is a crazy world, you probably know that.>
Amelie said seriously via telepathy, then she raised the black veil, revealing her pink hair that wasn't tied into a pigtail, but it was rather loose, almost reaching her waist and her ruby eyes.
Russell took note of Amelie's words, forgetting to complain about the term 'shared' Personal Attendant which didn't even occur in his mind as a possibility, but considering that they're companions, it's just somehow right.
"But... I need to work... and I don't know the rules and regulations there..."
"100 million a month. That's your salary."
Amelie interjected, prompting Russell to look at her in disbelief, but thinking about the future, money wouldn't matter that much anymore. He then looks at Maya after thinking as he acquiesces with Amelie's judgment at this moment.
Maya became speechless, her mouth agape because her salary per week was only 100,000 Obel which amounts to 400,000 Obel per month, and these intruders who were technically Obelisk students were offering her a hundred million just to become their Personal Assistant.
After a long sigh, she agreed reluctantly, then Russell proceeded with their plan about rescuing her parents.
...
Shadow Guild Branch, Part of Western Olympia.
"Oi! Oi! What are you fellows doing huh?!"
Bam-!
A kick landed on the back of an elder-looking man with a slightly thin body, auburn hair, and sapphire-like eyes. Although the Emergence caused the Mana to be consolidated around the world, causing evolution to the physique of humans, it doesn't mean that the work they're going to be involved with would be easier.
An elderly woman with short red hair and blue eyes — who didn't even have the strength to shout — tend to the elderly man. Although they were in their middle 50s, their looks seemed only in their late 30s.
"What a husband and wife, unfortunately... you'll die here, so just help us work, at least you'll do us good!"
A man with a rough face spoke in a firm voice with a grin on his lips.
The elderly man and woman picked up a pickaxe, an unordinary one that wouldn't break easily, then proceeded to go inside the already cleared Strayed Dungeon that's heavily controlled to mine a mineral called Urum (UR). There were thousands of people like them wearing gray t-shirts with numbers written on its back.
...
The elderly man with a number on the back of his gray t-shirt written as 721 whispered with a poignant tone.
"I hope we can see her again..."
The elderly woman with a number on the back of her gray t-shirt written as 722 teared up as she said in a breaking voice.
"I miss our daughter, too."
...
"Let's go... it's gonna be a fun night."
For some reason, Amelie's words that were said with a smile caused Russell to feel goosebumps on his body, more than the strange Maya that they didn't think hard about at this moment as they deemed it unnecessary for now.
Russell nodded at Amelie, he already told her the location where the possibility of the location of Maya's parents could be found, but the problem this time was that it was somewhere that Amelie didn't go to during her days as a slave in a certain organization living under the Thorn of Rose.
Amelie scratched her head, then Russell said via telepathy.
<Western Olympia... any station bound to that.>
Amelie nodded as she painted the image of the nearest Air Train station that was bound to the Western Olympia.
After an unknown period of time, Amelie took out the Staff of the Lost Shade (Growth) and used the Spade Warp.
Maya's eyes widened at the spade-shaped warp dyed in the darkest black that appeared out of nowhere, her mouth slightly agape while at a loss for words, then Russell walked through first, followed by Maya, and lastly by Amelie.
...
Inside the Air Train of the Spiral Station.
Sitting on the seats inside the cabin assigned to them according to the Air Train ticket number, Russell looked outside, seeing the lights of the city, starry night sky, and bluish moon.
'If nothing changes, there's only a single Strayed Dungeon where Urum can be mined...'
He inwardly thought as the Air Train traversed on its track, hovering over it.
...
On the northern right of Olympia, Forest of Oblivion, a towering facility has been built by the Obelisk Organization, sealing the confidential Strayed Dungeon.
Checking the woman with platinum hair, purple eyes, and a voluptuous body that's being gawked at by the guards, the gate to the large facility opened.
Then, taking a magical elevator, and reaching the underground in a matter of seconds, Ayleen Mayfield, the professor of A-1 students of first years walked for a few minutes as various kinds of greetings reached her auricular senses.
She stopped in front of a certain massive door with a label that's written...
[Cemetery of Oblivion]
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