Chapter 39: Chapter 39: I Know Something You Don’t

Once day broke, the seventeen researchers that'd joined his guild were notified and then assembled in Rachel's office. It became cramped with zealous bodies that all impatiently awaited their grand reveal. Artie was partially thankful for the appointment because he could clear his mind from the previous night.

Before the researchers were allowed access to their data, Artie wanted to clarify one thing. He hopped onto a desk, clapped his hands together to gather everyone's attention, then spoke.

"Before you have at it, I want you to promise to keep this information private."

"Consider it a guild privilege."

"In truth, the people of this town just piss me off. The elves and ram folk were already given everything unconditionally."

The lively pack yelled out and swore their secrecy like excited children being asked to pinky promise.

"Alright, knock yourselves out," said Artie, jumping down from the desk.

Just as soon as his feet hit the ground, there was an outburst, and the members shouted.

"Thank you, sir!"

The sudden clamor startled him, and his head cut toward the grateful people. Artie didn't expect nor want them to treat him any differently. He was glad he could speak with the small group casually instead of making a grand speech. Anyhow, he found it fulfilling to offer something and have others appreciate it.

Artie acknowledged their thanks and then let the experts shepherd the meeting. Harvey stood at the back wall and covered everything pertaining to the land. At the same time, Laria positioned at the left to profile the monsters they'd encountered, and Rachel outlined the unique races on the right.

Furthermore, Sebastian and Mayumi were available at the front of the room to depict their experience leveling as hunters.

The dark-eyed woman appeared poise, and Artie was too skittish to raise the subject of what'd transpired the night before. At least around others, he pledged to advance when the time was right.

In the meantime, Artie, too, listened to the researcher's conference. He commonly minded his own business on their expedition, so it became an opportunity to learn what his companions achieved while interacting with the other villages.

Beginning with what he already knew, each location they visited had its own set of starting weapons and dynamic of people. The forest town had a fair balance of human hunters and workers, but the ram folk tilted heavily toward fighters.

Assuming there was a random character generator that decided resistance, race, and job. The odds of becoming either hunter or worker in the human town were 50-50. The ram folk would have an 80-20 ratio, and the elves sat at 40-60.

Everything she stated referenced her and Oscar's theory regarding D.R.A. An idea that human bodies were broken down, then reconstructed to be moldable and follow the rules of the planet.

Rachel also believed the body of hunters had specific genetic advantages. Head starts, depending on their race. Humans were offset in their abilities, but the ram folk were generally stronger and could lift much more on average. As a negative, they progressed slower as a society, settling in tents instead of creating a town with defensives.

Meanwhile, the elves were slim, but their innate technical ability allowed them to build complex structures and live comfortably above the trees.

Rachel also had a theory about Artie's remarkable hearing. As she explained the details, he tried to simplify it as much as possible in his head.

"So, she thinks I manually leveled up my hearing."

"Forgetting all that gibberish about genetic inclinations. It sounds like a complicated way to describe in-game skill points."

"The more you utilize a certain trait, the more it levels up and grows into a specialty."

"While all the other hunters became brawny jocks within the first week. It took me months to look decent, but in exchange, I was using my ears a lot…."

"Most of them unknowingly invested their skill points in strength, while all of mine went into hearing."

"Sebastian must have been climbing trees or something and leveled up his agility. His accuracy is also pretty remarkable."

Artie became agitated, so he squatted down and covered his ears to drown out the commotion of the elated researchers.

"If I'd known beforehand, I could have invested in another trait…."

"I would still prioritize hearing. But I could've picked up a secondary talent like agility, dexterity, defense, or anything else."

Artie sighed and thought about what he would have done differently. He'd built the most formidable heroes in video games but ended up a low-tier character himself.

"I should just be grateful I didn't spec full strength like the other hulks in this town…."

After grumping, he sat on his bottom and put more thought into the matter. His human half was off to a bad start. Still, he contemplated the possibility of there being an advantage to being demi-human. Unlike him, wolf-men in games had an incredible sense of smell, night-vision and could sprint on all fours to move faster. More importantly, he wanted to become as strong as the beast that tracked him. It was ruthless and frightening, but their ability was unequivocal.

Everyone in the room was racking their brains, absorbing or processing knowledge. After three consistent hours of conversing, the people took seats on the floor and started independent reading.

Artie's party looked exhausted as they roamed over and sat on the ground next to him.

"Good work," he thanked, raising his brow at his depleted mates.

"I don't want to hear words for the next hour," mumbled Sebastian, lying flat with closed eyes.

"You're using words right now," Laria joked, pulling her knees to her chest.

Sebastian groaned, then thumped his head against the hard floor. Artie wondered if anyone else was amused, so he turned his head and made eye contact with Harvey before they laughed.

"At the very least, you shouldn't have to lay on the floor after a hard day's work."

"Is it possible to get a bigger space?" Questioned Artie.

"Your guild reputation should be high enough to request an upgrade," Mayumi had stated.

Her mild voice surprised him, and instead of resuming, Artie simply glanced at the woman. Strangely, she didn't appear bothered. However, she did avoid eye contact.

Harvey had jerked as if he'd suddenly remembered something important, then imparted his recently learned knowledge.

"Actually."

"Mayor Wana has abolished the trade/reputation system and created a currency."

Sebastian unhurriedly leaned up, pulled a cloth pouch from his pocket, then dumped two dozen round, stone coins.

"These?"

They were circular pieces of stone engraved with the image of a sun. Harvey seemed to be the only one who understood the value because he gasped.

"We've only been back one night; where did you get money?" Laria questioned.

"What can I say? I'm well-liked," boasted Sebastian with a winning grin.

Laria surmised that he obtained the funds from admirers. Sebastian giggled and rubbed the back of his neck in a manufactured embarrassment.

Excusing him, Artie picked up one of the coins and inquired how many would be needed to upgrade. Harvey explained that most essential items like food and clothing would cost one unit. So, he guessed it would take around 50 coins a month to maintain a meeting room.

"If that's how much a room costs. We should buy a building instead," insisted Artie.

"A guild house?!" Exclaimed both Laria and Sebastian.

"A private property, huh. There would be a lot of expenses to account for, but it's doable," deemed Harvey.

Artie found it comical that the man referred to it as private property instead. Laria and Sebastian were clearly the only ones that had played and understood the wonders of fantasy games.

It was estimated that a larger property would run them at least 200 coins a month. It was a reasonable guess considering how many hunters a guild usually enlisted. With twenty or more members completing quest, there would be a sufficient payout. They, however, only had Artie, Sebastian, and a handful of researchers in their ranks.

"Assuming we took the highest paying jobs, it'd still take time to collect that much," added Laria, tilting her head and tapping her forehead.

Artie stood, glanced around the room of concentrated guild members, then held a coin up toward the ceiling.

"Instead of quest, how much do you think we could sell our information for?"

"That'd depend on what we chose to se-"

"A tutorial!?" One of the men interrupted, jolting up from the papers he'd read.

Head's lifted and turned toward the rackety, startled man. Artie looked at Laria and pointed his thumb at the roused researcher as if that said it all.

"Then, I recommend negotiating with the town officials. They'll be the most willing and able to expend the funds you need," Advised Mayumi, brushing back her dark hair.

"I'd love to see everyone's faces after hearing this," Sebastian cheesed while rubbing his hands together.

"Weren't you sick of words a minute ago….

The thought of interacting with the other guild leaders stressed Artie out, so he volunteered to stay behind and watch over the researchers. However, Mayumi notified him that the town was no longer steered by the guild leaders. Instead, there were elected officials that bore previous experience in government. Artie thought it was idiotic that husky hunters had any vote in the rules to begin with.

Even after learning about the systems remodeling, Artie refused to go. He sat on a table and urged them to leave without him. Unfortunately, Sebastian and Laria weren't having it. They took his left and right arm, then hauled him off the desk. It would have been easy for Artie to escape, but he fell shy when Mayumi glanced at him with docile eyes. Seeing the woman without her usual fire was peculiar, and his suppressed emotions began to surface.

"If you look at me like that…."

Artie straightened himself, then agreed to accompany the group, though aggrieved.

They exited the room, then traveled to what was named the "town hall" to negotiate compensation that would be used to buy a house.

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The structures in town had shot up another one or two levels, and the available shops expanded greatly. While the city was renovated, the people... Well, boats are designed to float, and humans were created to stay afloat. That meant remaining vigilant of unknown threats.

Though he despised the looks they gave him, Artie had ample time to understand their perspective. The monster that killed their loved ones had suddenly followed a man into town, then converted him into a similar species. It was suspicious on every ground.

Once Artie arrived, Mayor Wana exited an expansive, white stone, four-story building alongside a crowd of men and women. She hadn't changed much and stepped with authority and grace down a set of stairs before walking to Artie.

"It's been a while," Wana greeted, her straight black hair swaying and heavy crimson eyes meeting his own.

Artie wondered how he'd feel about reuniting with the woman. If he'd be scared, vengeful, or indifferent. As he locked eyes with her, he thought about what to say. A lot could be said, but he settled with a simple pass of flattery.

"It has; you look well, Wana."

Her sight strayed from Artie's yellow eyes to the hair that'd grown over his forehead. Then to his defined chest and wide arms. He'd overtaken her in height, but her acute presence still made the woman feel immense.

"I can say the same for you," Wana replied.

Artie would have grown irate if anyone else had eyed him in the manner she had. But, because he knew the woman was also mutated, he only thanked her, then jumped straight to the point.

"I won't take up too much of your time."

"In short, we need money, so we've come to sell the details of our venture."

Confused and infuriated murmurs spouted, and a woman beside Wana looked dearly offended.

"Sell? You are expected to divulge all your findings with or without payment."

After turning, Artie looked indifferently at the official. His eyes sharpened, then fixed on the woman who'd recklessly spoken to him. Even when she tried to elaborate, he didn't talk but remained fixated on her with a piercing gaze.

The stranger eventually began to look uneasy. Her shoulders tensed up, and she took a subtle step away from him while diverting her gaze to her close associates.

When the back of Artie's shoe was kicked, he broke contact, then turned around to see Mayumi shaking her head. He understood it as a cue to control himself, but he confessed in the language of the ram folk-

"These people really rub me the wrong way."

Mayumi adjusted to the same language, inched closer, then gently placed her hand on his back.

"I know, but deal with it for now."

Since they weren't speaking in any known language, there was a wave of awe, and the onlookers began questioning what they were communicating. Meanwhile, Artie exhaled and yielded to Mayumi. He found it difficult to "deal with it" when surrounded by people that wanted him dead. Still, he held on for the guild's sake.

"Respectfully, I'll divulge whatever I want to you all," he affirmed bluntly.

Wana attempted to reason with Artie, appealing to any empathy he may have held. After half a year in a foreign world, all she wanted was closure for her community and herself. To know the "why" behind their involuntary lives on Earth-Two.

Artie did agree with her. He believed the masses deserved to know about the world's different races and languages. To know it was all a game and that an Ai was pulling the strings under someone's orders or its own volition.

"You all do deserve closure."

"The question is, how much are you willing to sacrifice to gain it?"

His statement was deemed absurd, and those who heard him were enraged. Randoms insulted him with words and phrases that ultimately described him as "greedy." When the officials didn't get their way, they tried to appeal to his closeby party members. They'd personally addressed Harvey and Mayumi by name in hopes their past interactions would trigger a positive outcome.

"Please, you've always been the more sane ones."

"You understand what's at stake here; this isn't a game!"

Artie found their choice of words ironic since they were, in fact, likely living in a game. The group stood by his decision on the foundation that he was the guild leader and organizer of the expedition.

He felt a faint relief when he became regarded as a rapacious, cash-guzzling, selfish bastard. He was still abhorred, but at the very least, they treated him like a garbage human and not a monster.

After minutes of unrest, Wana caved in. She raised her right hand, and silence ensued. A simple question from her lips alerted Artie that he had won.

"How much do you want."

"We'll need a guild house for our members," Artie stated.

Disorder detonated again, but Wana quickly sedated it before consenting to his demand. She informed him that a building had been recently completed toward the north-western reaches of town. He agreed to it, but there was dissatisfaction from her cohorts.

"Mayor Wana, with all due respect, the guild leader Skull has already prepared payment for that building."

"It's fine. He'll have to understand," Wana replied.

Knowing the building was meant for Skull, a man that'd tormented him previously, was the icing on the cake.

With the deal sealed, Artie started with a simple inquiry. He asked the ex-policemen if she knew anything about MMOs. Wana admitted she had no experience, so Artie explained the function of a game tutorial in laymen's terms. How the monsters they had fought were burning trash in comparison to the creatures that awaited them outside the zone. He also relayed the Ai's information about roles but kept his and Mayumi's involvement secret.

"They prosecuted me for having cat ears. If they learn that Mayumi actually gets possessed by the moon, there may be a witch hunt."

Silence washed over the area as individuals took time to process what they were hearing. Even Wana seemed awestricken as she stood with her mouth agape and stared at the talking Artie.

When he concluded, she winced, snapped out of her daze, and held out her arm in question.

"What's beyond the tutorial zone? The landscape, what were the monsters like? What about how roles are chosen?"

She had initiated a solo game of twenty questions. All the answers she sought were locked behind a pay-wall, and Artie intentionally excluded details to profit from them later.

"We'll take that building now," Artie redirected.

The woman's mouth closed, and she relaxed her arms to their rightful positions. After confirming Artie's story with his companions, she had no option but to relinquish ownership of the building to his guild.

Contentious chatter flooded the airspace, so he quickly roamed off to inspect their new home.

 

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His party first stopped at Rachel's office and collected all their materials and the searchers. Then, they escorted the members to the new guild establishment, ensuring no one was picked off for info.

When they arrived, they celebrated the new facility. It was as large as a single 3-story school building. Made of dark brown wood, preset with window sills and a triangular roof and chimney. The print of a human skull was engraved on the entrance, but Artie planned to have it modified once they'd decided on their own image and name.

"Damn, this is cool."

Artie was exhilarated but tried to uphold his leadership appearances around the researchers, even though they all leapt with joy and cheered.

The move-in happened fast, and they immediately established sections for the members. The third floor would be living quarters, and the second floor would be reserved for researchers as offices and labs. Then, the first floor was a common area to mingle.

Everything had been bare, so on Artie's behalf, Laria and Mayumi went to coerce Wana for additional funds.

It was overall a successful day, so he wandered up to the top floor and claimed the largest room. While standing in the center of the sun-filled space, he soaked in his accomplishment.

"Wow."

"This place is much larger than my old studio apartment…."

The roof was so high that he couldn't reach it with a running jump. Wide enough, he could sprint from one side to the other and comfortably fit at least twelve people.

Double doors led inside the room, and another set of doors led to a balcony. He roamed outside to the deck, where he grabbed onto wooden railings and took in the sights before him.

"Mom and dad would have loved this," he smiled softly.

Most of the buildings in that area were still one or two levels high, so he could gaze over them and admire the growing town.

After a deep, peaceful exhale, he jumped up and sat on the railing while indulging in the location's serenity. He was only three levels high, but looking down at things reminded him of when he'd lived in a tall building. How he looked out the window to people-watch or play "eye spy" with his parents.

"This world really is beautiful sometimes."

Artie tilted his head back, shut his eyes, and felt and listened to the delicate voices of the wind.

 

"It's too bad I have to ruin it."

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