Percy Gets a Haircut

Karmet handed the Core to her and Tiara tried to grab it. But at the last moment, he moved his hand and brought the Core to himself, much to Tiara's disappointment. "But you promised…"

"Are you really the Carpel?" He asked in suspicion. He looked at her up and down. She was thin, with barely anything to account for. She had no weapons or any skills. Surely, she couldn't be the great Carpel he had to protect? "You have nothing," he said bluntly.

Tiara's face went red in embarrassment. "That's why you need to protect me! If I was powerful, why do you think you're here?"

Karemt knotted his eyebrows questioningly. She had a point, but… something didn't match up. "Do you have the scroll?"

Tiara froze. Scroll? What scroll? She wondered if she was pulling this bluff on for too long. But that Core shone so temptingly in front of her eyes. She wondered where Percy was now. He must have finished collecting the 50 azure flowers by now. It annoyed her, how every time her mind went back to Percy. She didn't know why. 'Maybe it's a side effect of becoming partners,' she thought to herself. But then if that's the case, Percy should be thinking about her too, right?

A few kilometres away from the swamps, the man in question was running around, brandishing his only sword and trying to clear a path for himself. His face was covered with the sheen of sweat and his eyes looked incredibly tired. The air filled with noises of slashing as he cut through the thicket of plants and sometimes, a few small Dramons that jumped at him.

He cursed under his breath. "Where the hell are you, Tiara? You said you were coming here to the swamps, did you go somewhere else?" He dodged a baby Dramon and swung it onto the ground by its legs before stabbing its heart. Shiny blue liquid poured out instead of the Core.

Percy realised that since it was just a baby, the Core hadn't solidified inside its body yet. He bent down and touched the liquid.

[You have made contact with Rare Class Liquid Core. Store in Inventory?]

Percy raised an eyebrow. Did the Core liquid worth more than the Core itself? He asked the system the same. "The Liquid Core is cheaper than an actual Core in the Market. The liquid is a useful ingredient in many common potions and pills that impart various skills and benefits. You can either collect this liquid or leave it on the ground for it to replenish the soil."

Percy laughed. He wasn't planning on becoming an environmentalist anyway, especially not in this strange dreamworld. "Store."

[Storing Initiated. Please standby till the process is completed.]

A loading sign appeared in front of him, much to his annoyance. How much more time will be delayed? That girl would have been dead by now. He let out a breath as he lifted his long hair and gave space for his neck to get some air. "This hair is really annoying," he muttered. Out of whim, he brought his sword to his hair and without hesitation, cut it neck short.

The strands of his hair fell on the ground in a quiet bunch. He finally sighed in relief from the weight that he lost because of the hair. "I really have no idea how girls walk around with this much hair on their backs. They have to walk around in the heat too. And if they tie all that hair on their head, doesn't it make them dizzy?" He never imagined he would think about such stuff, but he really felt sorry for girls now.

His ears perked up as he reached a beautiful looking place with tall trees and ripe fruits. A sparkling stream ran straight down from the mountains in a watery melody. He noticed the footprints on the soil and the hairs on his neck rose in alarm. "That's a big Dramon footprint! Bigger than any other Dramon I had encountered till here." He followed the footprints and found himself in another place full of bushes and trees. Barely any sunlight got in, but it was illuminated enough to see.

Within the semi-darkness, a huge blue crystal caught his eyes. He rushed towards it out of instinct and then slowed when he saw who was holding it. An unfamiliar person… but opposite him was the girl Percy was looking for!

"Do you have the scroll?" He asked. Percy's eyes flitted towards Tiara who was clearly surprised by the question. What scroll? Was the other player threatening her in the name of this scroll?

Percy gripped his sword tight and stepped forward. "Let her go!"

Karmet's head turned in the direction of the sound.

"Percy!" Tiara exclaimed before covering her own mouth. Karmet turned to her. "You know him? Is he the partner you talked about?"

Percy widened his eyes at the girl. "You told him?"

"He is a test player too!" Tiara pointed at Karmet.

"What if he is lying?" Percy asked darkly, fixing his gaze on the Player. "Why are you holding her hostage? Let her go."

Karmet smirked. "We both are on a deal. I was just asking if she has a scroll. Not that hard of a question to answer, right?"

Percy gritted his teeth and called for Tiara. "Come here."

Tiara was about to step forward, when the presence of the Core held her back. No, she was getting it. Percy noticed that and laughed again. "I'll kill how many ever Dramons you want and give the Core to you, Tiara. Just let this go."

Tiara frowned. That would mean Percy reigning over her again. She was not allowing that anymore. "Please leave, Percy. I can handle myself."

Percy looked taken aback at that. Karmet made an 'o' with his mouth as if he just witnessed some drama. "You heard the lady, please leave." Karmer raised an eyebrow. His keen eyes studied this situation. They truly did look like recently joined Players and Tiara had also said that they had dived in together. Karmet was 80% sure that he was in the presence of the Carpel and Stamen. But he was still holding back just in case… just in case he was wrong and they were from the preposterous Lightning Dragon Sect. He wouldn't want to let out any important information to those bastards.

Tiara looked at her feet.

Percy looked hurt. "Tiara, really? You'd go with a stranger rather than me?"

[According to the research files of Project Dream System, Dramons are currently classified as

Grade 4 - Weak Dramons, most of them are the size of a house dog and can be defeated with bare hands and enough power. Cores obtained from these Dramons are practically useless.

Grade 3 - Slightly Stronger. A strong weapon is required to kill this type of Dramon. They are bigger and their Cores have average value in the Market as they are used to make healing medicines.

Grade 2 - Very Strong. These Dramons also possess a small level of intelligence and a sense of determination, making them harder to beat. A Player might not be able to take down this Dramon single-handedly. Their Cores and the objects they leave behind when they die (Drops) are also of high value and useful for many potions etc.

Half-Grade - These are stronger than grade 2 Dramons and possess a scary level of intelligence. They are known to be cunning and have very small Cores hidden inside them so they are very hard to kill. They are used in the Obsidian Lord's wars for this very reason.

Grade 1 - Limit of strength is unknown. Level of intelligence is unknown. Value of Cores is unknown. Only one test Player has been recorded to unfortunately come face to face with a Grade 1 Dramon and died in Dimension Zero fighting. Grade 1 Dramons are suspected to be protected by the Obsidian Lord inside his palace for more important wars.]