Trapped in game - 10

"You're sure you'll offer that to me?" A voice echoed in Lucian's mind, a voice so loud and deep that it felt like it shook his soul. It felt like the whole world was squeezed in that sound.

"Yes. There's nothing I can do other than that." Lucian replied, his voice just a speck of dust in the middle of the storm of sound.

"You, an interesting human. Alright, I will grant your request." The voice subsided, but left a strong vibration inside Lucian. A deal has been made, a deal that feels heavy and full of mystery.

The morning sun felt blinding as Lucian slowly opened his eyes. Not just because of the light, but also due to the stabbing headache. He curled up for a moment, trying to gather his awareness. Last night's memories were still hazy, like blurry shadows at the edge of his mind. There was a sense of anxiety, mixed with deep exhaustion. He tried to remember what happened, looking for clues from his surroundings.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late for work!" That thought popped up suddenly, causing a brief wave of panic. But another memory followed, stopping his panic. "Oh right, I just remembered I was possessed by a character in a game." Relief replaced the panic, but the exhaustion and headache still lingered. "Ugh, why does my head still hurt?" He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the pain that was disrupting his concentration.

" Quest; Survival Routine, failed. You will get a penalty "

" Processing "

"Penalty?" He let out a deep sigh, accepting the consequences of his negligence. "Oh yes, that quest. I really forgot...." He regrets his mistake, but also realizes that he must accept the consequences. "Damn it, even though the reward is not bad." He grumbled softly, but still tried to stay calm.

" Trying to display your Status "

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Character Information

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Name : Lucian Hale

Class : [Undetected]

Job : [Undetected]

Stats:

STR : 10 MP : 18/20

AGI : 20 HP : 45/50

INT : 85 CHA : -19

END : 10

EXP : 3 [Skill] [Quest]

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"Oh? Thank goodness the penalty wasn't too bad." Lucian sighed in relief, his fingers still trembling a bit as he checked his status on the virtual screen in front of him. He noticed the decrease in his MP and HP. "My MP and HP really dropped by 10%. Looks like this system's calculations are pretty accurate," he commented, his voice sounding a bit sarcastic. There was a hint of irony in his tone, considering how easily he had underestimated the previous quest.

" Notification; You think we're that dumb! 10% of 20 is 2 and 10% of 50 is 5 ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠ "

A notification popped up, the letters flashing in a slightly aggressive font. Lucian gave a wry smile. "I know, you never know, right? Sometimes mistakes and precision in Math really depend on who's defining it. This game system might have its own standards of precision, which could be different from the general math standards we know." He rubbed his face, feeling a bit dizzy from the earlier incident.

" Notification; We didn't expect you to be that smart."

"What do you say?" Lucian grinned, his voice sounding full of hidden pride. He lifted his legs and propped his hands on his knees and face. "I got a scholarship when I was in school, you know.. It's because I'm smart, and I also went to college, I know how to use that intelligence to achieve my goals," he said, his voice sounding a bit sarcastic. He enjoyed a little sense of superiority that arose within him.

" Notification ; (⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠;⁠) "

"This damn notification....!" Lucian growled. His face flushed and he held back his bubbling anger. His eyes were sharp and piercing, as if ready to pounce on anyone who dared to stand in his way. His lips clenched tightly, holding back the harsh words that wanted to come out. His fist hinted at how much resentment he had harbored.

"Huh." He sighed for a moment, his fingers tapping on his head. The memory of last night's system notification haunted him again. "Hey, as far as I remember last night I saw a spoiler notification or something," he added, his voice sounding a little disappointed because he couldn't remember the details clearly. "What is it?" He asked the system, his hope reappeared.

The system didn't respond. Lucian's expression turned a bit annoyed. He sighed deeply, then looked at the table in his room. A cup of steaming chamomile tea and a bowl of soup were set out there. "Did Pavel prepare this?" he wondered, his voice sounding a little calmer, but there was still a hint of disappointment left. "Well, at least there's something nice this morning."

"Huh, if only I could enjoy life this relaxed when I was still Kalandra..." Lucian sighed softly, his gaze fixed on the warm steam rising from the chamomile tea cup in front of him. The soothing aroma of chamomile seemed to strengthen the temptation to leave it all behind.

"No need to work, and laze around, just enjoy your free time without any carefree, without having to think about complicated storylines and annoying main characters..." The quiet shadow of life felt so seductive, a sharp contrast to the reality she was facing. He imagines himself sitting on a soft sofa, enjoying his favorite book without distractions. However, the shadow soon disappeared.

"Wait... Wouldn't I be able to do that now? I am Lucian Hale now not Kalandra Adyatama anymore. There's nothing wrong with enjoying that, right?" Lucian smiled faintly, a smile that was a little bitter. He felt that the burden of his responsibility as Kalandra Adyatama had disappeared, replaced by freedom as Lucian Hale.

"Yes, approaching the main storyline is the same as dying silly, then this kind of life is better—at least for now. I can rest for a while, enjoy the peace before returning to battle." He gulped down the chamomile tea slowly, enjoying the soothing warm taste.

He was silent for a long time, his fingers rubbing the teacup in a slow circular motion. His mind drifted between the desire to laze around and the determination to complete his mission. "No, Kalandra, you decided to participate in this event because you want to see the ending of this damn game right? Also, if I avoid the gameplay, I won't necessarily live in peace, right?" He strengthened his resolve, resisting the temptation to give up. He took a sip of chamomile tea, trying to calm his mind and prepare himself to face the challenges that lay ahead.

"Wait, what can I do to see the ending if I have such a bad status?" Lucian grumbled in frustration, staring at the screen displaying his character's pathetic status. He raked his hair in frustration. "At least if Lucian was one of the villains in the final quest, the system would give a buff or some kind of power boost automatically, or something. This is so unfair!"

He paused for a moment, contemplating the situation he was in. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, showing his mind was working hard. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. His eyes lit up, a sly smile began to form on his lips. "Wait, I just thought of a pretty good idea, to enjoy a chill life and also see the story's ending."

"I have a memory of the story of this world from the game, I will use that to predict the storyline and find a shortcut to reach the ending." He began to detail his plan in mind, looking for loopholes and possibilities that could be exploited.

"But in order to do that, it seems like I have to know whether the main character is already in this world or not. That information was crucial to the success of my plan. I can't be rash." Lucian said quietly, showing his caution. He got up from his chair, his movements calm and measured. He walked slowly towards the door of his room, as if he didn't want to attract anyone's attention.

"Pavel, you're outside right?" His voice was muted, only in the form of a barely audible whisper. The fragrant smell of chamomile tea still lingered in the air, reminding him of a calm he might not feel again in the near future.

From behind the door, Pavel appeared, a middle-aged man with a stern and loyal face. He wore a neat butler uniform. "Young Master?" Pavel bowed respectfully, his gaze sharp and attentive. "Are you looking for me?" His voice was calm and low, showing high professionalism.

"Yeah, there's something I want to ask you," Lucian took a deep breath, trying to control his slightly racing heart. He glanced to the right and left, making sure no one else was around. "Do you know anything about the Guardian?" His voice was serious, showing the urgency of the information.

"Guardian? What does the young master of the guardian mean? Yes, don't we already have it?" Pavel frowned, looking confused by Lucian's question. "What does Tuan Muda mean? Don't we already have a guard guarding Hale's mansion?" He pointed towards the sturdy mansion gate. "They are in charge of keeping us safe."

"What?" He sighed, as if feeling frustrated. "That's not what I mean. I'm talking about people from other worlds who are called to guard this world, or something." His voice sounded a little urgent, trying to explain his point.

"Hmm..." Pavel looked even more confused. "I'm sorry Young Master, I just heard this. By the way where did you find out about this? Where did this information come from?" He asked in a slightly suspicious tone, as if he didn't believe Lucian's story.