BRUKK!!
The window was shut tight, not a sliver of light piercing the room. The space was stuffy, dark, utterly devoid of illumination.
Vale groped for a light switch, accidentally knocking something over with a shattering sound. Startled, he searched for the source of the breakage.
"Ouch!" Something sharp had pierced his shoe, stabbing his foot. He hissed in pain, opening the system interface that appeared before him, casting a faint glow across Viona's room.
Inventory opened.
He took a healing potion he hadn't yet used and drank it. Item consumed.
Vale sighed, but as he did, he noticed the system's screen emitting a soft blue light, giving him some visibility.
Vale thought, this system can be useful after all. He bent down to remove his shoe and examine the object that had pierced his foot.
Strangely, he saw nothing embedded in his foot. Vale only saw a hole in his shoe and his foot wound slowly closing.
His eyes widened.
Disbelief washed over him. Goosebumps prickled his skin. He glanced around Viona's room, sensing someone nearby.
"So you're scared, huh?"
He turned to his right, towards the bed, and saw a woman sitting on it.
"Who are you?" Vale gasped, only able to make out the silhouette of her body. But he knew the voice belonged to a woman.
The woman stood. In Vale's mind, questions swirled. Who was she? And how did she get into this room?
Vale guessed. He remembered something.
"Could it be… that the boss followed me here?"
She drew closer.
And Vale saw her face.
The woman wore a long black gown with a tight corset and a wide skirt.
An ornate belt accentuated her waist. She wore long gloves and high-heeled boots. Her appearance was elegant and mysterious.
Her hair was silvery white, long and straight, neatly framing her face.
"Hey! Don't tell me you're…?" His face was a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
"Yes." She answered curtly.
Vale asked how she'd gotten out of the Tropical forest and followed him here. Celimity remained silent, still curious why Vale had helped her. On the other hand, she was glad to be out of that strange forest.
Without further thought, he asked, but Vale refused to answer. Finally, Celimity walked past him, effortlessly opening the door without any apparent effort.
Finding this odd, he wondered what had happened to him. Celimity turned back, staring at Vale with sharp eyes.
"Oh, yes… my name now is Yelena Elianore!" she murmured. Then she left Vale, who was utterly bewildered.
He found her sudden arrival strange. Vale considered the system; had the system brought her here?
Without hesitation, he asked it.
…The system didn't respond. Vale yelled curses at it, using language best left unsaid.
The system remained silent. Finally, Vale stood in the doorway.
He peered down the hallway, checking if Yelena was still there. But he saw no one. Vale sighed softly.
…Why isn't this system responding? Does it have another purpose? Can it not talk to me? Damn it… he thought.
[Information.]
[Yelena is now your follower.]
[Loading…]
[No system connection to her arrival.]
Of course, after seeing all this, Vale understood. Yelena had come here of her own free will. So what did she want? Was she hiding malicious intent? The question haunted him.
[Information.]
[Daily mission revealed!]
[Find Viona's location: Bonus Coin 1000]
[Bonus item after Quest completion.]
He tensed at the information.
His hands clenched tightly, worried why the system suddenly told him to find her.
But on the other hand,
Vale managed a small smile. But it vanished.
His face turned serious; the bedroom door closed behind him. His steps were heavy, as if burdened.
Vale left the apartment; the sound of bells chimed in unison with the ticking of a clock. A melody played, but not by anyone; only the clock's hands and the wind moved the bells.
He sighed and prepared to search for his sister.
"Wait, is that system information reliable?"
The question haunted him, but on the other hand, he believed it because Viona hadn't returned since this morning.
Without further thought, Vale trusted the system's information and set out to find Viona.
18-05-1294.
12:30 PM. Vale still hadn't found her. His worry about Viona's condition grew with each passing moment.
Finally, he asked the system again, his voice soft, hoping for an answer.
[Information revealed!]
His eyes widened as the system reacted to his question. Vale entered a gap between buildings to check the information. A hologram appeared, resembling a map of Monity City.
The map was identical to the one in Vale's memory. A red dot appeared in the southern tip of Monity. Vale was currently in the city center, or rather, in a gap between buildings, next to a bustling fountain.
Vale wondered if the red dot was Viona's location. The red dot was very far away; he didn't think Viona could be there. He looked to the side—specifically at a bench under the fountain—a man kept staring at him.
The man wore a suit, a high-collared shirt, trousers, and a slightly down-turned bowler hat; his face was obscured by the shadows of passersby and the fountain behind him.
The man suddenly stood, Vale gasped and fled. Feeling watched, he ran quickly, bumping into people as he went. Reflexively, he turned his head while running and nodded.
"Who is he? …And why does he seem to be watching me?" he muttered.
He looked back, checking for Vale. He looked up at the building, his eyes moving towards Vale as if saying something.
Vale reached the main road; four roads branched off. Ultimately, Vale chose to run straight ahead, towards the south of Monity.
He ran hurriedly, as if being chased. In his heart, he felt he hadn't done anything wrong and had no memory of doing anything. Vale's memories weren't fully restored.
Damn it, Vale… Why is someone watching you? he could only mutter in his panic.
System opened.
It appeared before him as he ran.
The red dot was getting closer, only a few meters away. Vale ran incredibly fast; he didn't realize how quickly he was moving.
His frantic pace stemmed from the strange person watching him. As he approached the red dot, the system suddenly reacted, issuing a danger notification.
[!Warning!]
[Small iron projectile incoming from behind!]
"Hah… a bullet?" He instantly looked back and his eyes widened at the glint of a projectile speeding towards him.
He dodged.
The projectile was about the size of a pencil. The attack targeted Vale's leg, but Vale had received a warning from the system. And he successfully evaded it.
He shifted his foot by a few centimeters, altering the projectile's trajectory. The bullet struck the pavement, creating a crack. Vale could only sigh.
He thought, thank goodness for the system. If I hadn't been warned, that shot would have shattered my leg.
"I figured you could dodge it!" someone muttered, standing on a rooftop, looking down.
Vale, seeing this, asked about the person's identity, but of course, they didn't answer. Vale could only see a silhouette due to the blinding sunlight.
The person suddenly leaped and began to approach him. Vale was instantly surprised.
"Huh, it's him?" A fragment of Vale's memory suddenly surfaced, recalling something about the identity of the person approaching him.