Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

The Obelisk Square of the Royal City was a majestic place. Since it was right between two districts of the city, it was always crowded. The atmosphere in the area was festive, as there were flower shops, hotels, and several taverns nearby.

During sunny afternoons, the many local restaurants set up a few tables with parasols in the large space of the square, so that people could enjoy good food and a cool wind. Winter was harsh in Tretidian, so the population made the most of the summer.

As this square carried in its name, there was a large obelisk in its center, like a tower to the past. On this obelisk there were some unusual designs, such as a closed book with mistletoe leaves surrounding it, and also a sun and a moon closer to the top. In addition, there were also runes so complex on its footer that only very powerful magicians could decipher them.

The legends said that this obelisk had stood for eons in this very square, as had the twin towers that shaded the city when the sun was setting.

In this mysterious and warm atmosphere of the Obelisk Square, Kaizen felt a little out of place. There were many couples walking hand in hand around him, and also some lively groups of friends. He was the only solo player in the place and just as he was beginning to get irritated by this friendly atmosphere, he spotted a man in a beret holding a lute and knew that this person was Jayaa.

As he approached, the lost look of Jayaa, who was standing beside the obelisk waiting for Kaizen, caught his eye. Jayaa cracked a huge smile when he easily recognized Kaizen and started walking towards him.

"What is that outfit?" was the first thing Jayaa inquired, looking at the light armor Kaizen was wearing.

The Psyker looked at his friend and analyzed his clothing as well. Jayaa's attire was funny, to say the least. His beret was blue, like the feathers of a peacock, and his stuffed pants literally had peacock feather details, which made the ensemble very tacky. Moreover, Jayaa's physical appearance was identical to his appearance in real life, which was not surprising, because he had an exaggerated self-esteem.

Jayaa realized that Kaizen was also analyzing his clothes from top to bottom as if to say something.

"I know what you're going to say about my clothes..." said the boy with the lute, dejectedly.

"Lucky me that-"

"They are amazing, aren't they!? I got 150 silver coins on those pants, and that beret was a gold coin! And since I bought the pants, I got the blouse too! Come, I allow you to touch it. Give me your hand." Jayaa exclaimed, holding up the collars of her corny blouse, as if in wonder.

At that moment, in Kaizen's mind the contrast of the real-life Jayaa came up next to the one from Rise Online, and the two Jayaa's were at the same time completely different and similar.

"Man, how come your girlfriend still plays this with you?" Kaizen tried not to be cruel with his words, but he couldn't help himself.

"Ergh? You don't like it, that's jealousy~. You know, man, I wanted to be a singer when I was younger, around 18 and 19. However, my band broke up and I gave up.Luckily, I got the Bard Class and now I have a new chance, but there's no need to be embarrassed, my class still allows me to battle... In fact I'd love to continue on this subject, but it's impossible for me not to ask: why did you do that in the Arena?"

The fact that Jayaa already knew about what happened to Leohorn and Ravastine surprised Kaizen, who pulled him by the arm further away from the obelisk and whispered:

"How do you already know about this?"

"I was following the fight for a stream at work, because that place is boring without you, and suddenly you came on the scene. You understand what you did, right? I explained to you how strong the Desert Lions Guild is. Why did you do that?" Jayaa whispered as well.

Kaizen stopped walking and looked into his colleague's eyes. "I couldn't let that guy kill the girl. Simple as that."

"Why not? It's just an NPC I bet you've never seen before."

"Pay attention, Jayaa, I don't see NPCs as just that, okay? When we die in this game, we revive, but they don't have that privilege. Besides, the duel was part of a story mission, which meant that the woman's death could have consequences for all players."

"Oh, you're cute, bro." said Jayaa, placing a hand on his chin as if in admiration.

"What?"

"Honestly? It's cute that you think that way. I hadn't thought that way about NPCs yet and thinking about it, I don't think most players think that way. When I saw you saving the princess, I thought you were just after a side mission or something, but if it wasn't for that, I'm proud of you."

"As for that matter..."

Before telling Jayaa everything that happened, Kaizen called him to the emptiest possible place in the area, namely the corridors that lie at the back of the taverns.

In these alleys between the buildings, not even drunks frequented, because they were inside the taverns. So the only living things that kept Kaizen and Jayaa company during their long conversation were the cockroaches and the rats that went through the garbage, so the Psyker told everything that he and Ravastine talked about without any problems.

Jayaa was very stunned.

"The king is sick? That's terrible, man, and now you're involved in this... Didn't you have level warning to accept the mission? Because if Taznaar is involved and it's a history mission, I believe it will be necessary to be at least level 70. Ravastine has around that level, right?"

"Yes, she does, but I wouldn't mind level warnings even if it was necessary to be level 100 to do the mission." shrugging, Kaizen said. "These types of warnings are not requirements, they are just metrics to say whether the quest will be easy for a particular player or not. There is always one way or another to complete a mission, regardless of the level of it and the level the player is at."

"Rationally, I would like to disagree with that, but you are right. However, Rise Online is very punitive, Klaus. Any mistake you make, it will punish you, and of that I am sure.

"So, I won't make any more mistakes. Rest assured." Kaizen stated with such conviction that it made Jayaa smile as if the guy in front of him was an idiot, however, an idiot not to be doubted.

"All right, you're right. By the way, you'll need two more people for the duel against the Taznaar in two weeks, won't you? I'm in this with you. You've achieved basically the same level as I am in less than a week playing RO, so with you I think we can beat them."

As he spoke, Jayaa opened the game interface and clicked a few buttons, until suddenly a screen appeared in front of Psyker.

*Ping*

[Player 'Jayaa' wants to join the group. allow? YES/NO.]

That was the easiest decision Kaizen could make all day. Still, he pondered it for a few until the moment he finally clicked YES and stated:

"Turning a bard into a warrior, I bet this will be a bigger challenge than taking on Taznaar."

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