Emiko stayed silent, her arms crossed, gaze unfocused. She wasn't about to admit her pride had almost cost them.
Ji-Soon shot her a quick glance before clearing his throat.
As he continued to swipe through the digital pages, his fingers glided smoothly across the screen until something caught his eyes.
He paused at a certain grey entry.
"The Clicker Husk. Why are there question marks under its name?" Ji-Soon questioned.
"Huh? That's strange; this is also the first time I've seen something like this; maybe it doesn't have any info because no one has encountered it yet." Kompto suggested.
After a while, Ji-Soon took a step forward, the awkwardness of the moment pressing on him. He extended his arm for a handshake, his voice soft but sincere. "Thanks a lot for saving us. We owe you big time."
He didn't quite meet Kompto's gaze, his pride bruised, just like Emiko's. The fog seemed to thicken around them, the air growing colder, like trying to hide the uncomfortable silence that hung in the space between them.
"No problem, my friends; it's better for players to work together rather than competing for resources all the time; after all, it would help us get rid of this nightmare faster."
"Right, I am hoping my luck hasn't run out yet." Ji-Soon groaned slightly.
"Stop saying luck; the only reason we are both still breathing right now is thanks to me. You should be thankful to me; no amount of luck was gonna save you from those monsters. But then again, I guess you are pretty lucky to have someone like me with you." Emiko continued to indulge in her narcissism.
Ji-Soon raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed. "Right, lucky," he muttered sarcastically, but the slight twitch of his lips betrayed a smirk. He glanced at Kompto, who rolled his eyes, arms folded across his chest.
"Yeah, I'm sure the monsters were real scared of you," Kompto said dryly.
Emiko shot him a glare, but there was a small spark of satisfaction in her eyes as she basked in the attention, her posture straightening even more.
"Ahem!" Emiko harrumphed before turning her head the other way.
"That blast—your Leere?" Ji-Soon asked, his curiosity piqued.
The stylish man gave a little smirk, he was anticipating this question.
"Kaleido Pulse," he said, adjusting his sleeve casually. "Hides me from eyes, tags a charge, lets me detonate on my schedule."
Ji-Soon raised an eyebrow. "So, the explosion?"
Kompto's smirk widened. "I came into contact with one of the Shades while you guys were busy distracting it. I can place an invisible bomb on any target and detonate it at will."
"Fascinating," Ji-Soon muttered, tapping his chin. "You can literally farm XP from mobs without taking a single hit."
Kompto chuckled lightly. "Stamina tax is real. Vanish drains mana. I can ghost, but not forever. When it's levelled, I can read loadouts and tells from range. Closing distance still burns me if they trace the line."
Ji-Soon tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowed. "Intel? How's that work?"
Kompto leant in, his expression serious. "Once I master my Leere, I can scan mobs and players from a distance. I get their stats, gear, abilities, and levels. It's useful, but it comes with a drawback. Closing the gap between fights can be tricky with a Leere like mine."
"So, how do you get around that?" Ji-Soon asked, tapping his fingers on his arm as he thought.
"Easy," Kompto said with a grin. "I use my invisibility along with the terrain to blend in. But if they know where I'm coming from... well, I just get picked off by an area attack."
As the two players continued chatting about their Leere and potential cooperation to reach the next town, Emiko could be seen at the back, baffled at the situation.
She shrugged her shoulders before twirling her body around as she flicked her long, tawny hair.
"What?" Ji-Soon asked.
Emiko shot a sharp glance at the group before speaking up.
"Yes, there is. Have you all been paying attention? How do you think we're able to talk to him in Japanese? Back at the Castle of Beginning, we were all speaking Japanese, even though we came from different cultures. It's no coincidence. There's no way that many people just happen to speak the same language."
Kompto leant back casually against a tree before adjusting his watch.
"Filter in the system. You hear me in your language; I hear you in mine. It hiccups." He shrugged, clearly unbothered by the idea.
"Huh. That's… not terrible." Emiko's mood shifted, a cautious curiosity sneaking in behind the bite.
She could feel the heat in her throat, cicadas in the skull—the old porch with a plastic fan that only moved warm air. A glass sweating on a warped table, a voice through the screen door telling her to be good, be quiet, be useful. She learnt to smile between orders.
"So, what if it's an in-game text on an infrastructure? Is the system able to translate that into a language that every player across the world could understand?" Emiko pressed closely against Kompto.
"Give the guy some space, will you?" Ji-Soon nagged her, knowing full well she was leering back at him with another one of those death threats.
Kompto glanced nervously between them, his posture slightly shifting, uncomfortable. "Uh, haha, don't worry about it, friends," he said, giving a forced chuckle, taking a half-step back.
"Yeah, the system does translate texts from any language so players can understand." He quickly went back to adjusting his watch, his eyes flicking towards the ground for a brief moment, almost like he was trying to hide a flicker of unease.
She keeps a list no one sees: men who explain, men who promise, and men who vanish. Somewhere on it was a day of peeled fruit and sticky wrists, laughter pulled tight until it snapped. Since then, she keeps room in her mouth for the word no.
"Great, you should come with us then; if we team up, we could cover for each other's blind spots," Emiko suggested.
"Well, if you don't mind, I'll gladly join you in your journey."
The man with braided hair gave her a smile before reaching his hand into his trench coat. Shortly after, a faint beeping echoed softly in his ear as his pocket blinked red, flashing a few times before fading away.
"We should start going soon; it will take us a few miles before reaching the town. Getting in contact with Kaz and Tang-Ji should be our top priority," Ji-Soon suggested.
As Ji-Soon and Kompto paced themselves ahead to chat about the game world, Emiko at the back was suddenly met with a digital ring from an unknown caller.
'Ring, ring, ring, ring.'
"Hello? Emiko, do you hear me?" A faint crackling sound came through the static; the message was distorted but clear enough.
"…Hello?" Emiko answered, voice low.
"The system coded by V.I.R.M even allows an auto-translator—it's like they're begging to be hacked. We'll be uploading the World Seed onto the USB you should have attached to your capsule. In about a week, it'll be sent to a terminal nearby."
The static buzzed for a moment before the voice continued.
"Hello? Emiko, do you hear me?"
"I want you to locate that terminal... and retrieve the item. Remember the mission—survive, no matter what. Bring it back to me. I'm counting on you... don't disappoint father."
The static cut off suddenly, followed by a low, frustrated mutter from Emiko. "Dammit—seriously?" She kicked a nearby rock, her voice muffled as she cursed again. "Mic's scuffed from that fall." She drew a breath that tasted of metal and rain. "Men and instructions—favourite combo." Another quiet breath, the heat gone from her tone. "Fine. I heard you."
The old season climbs her spine—white light on tile, a door that never quite shuts, a command tossed from the next room. Her palms when damp, memory tasting of sugar water and metal. She hates that her feet still move when a man's voice tells her to.