MMORPG: Rebirth of the Mortal Online - Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Arkham the Introvert
A glorious and burning bonfire roared with flames near the town’s square. The mercenaries danced and sang around it, celebrating the start of the Gathering.

They used broken furniture and old wooden crates as fuel to feed the fire. Those had no use either way, so they might as well use them to light up the night and keep warm.

It was a big party. Everyone mingled with each other, sharing stories and laughter throughout the night. They drank, ate delicious barbecue, and danced under the stars.

The start of the Gathering was just a few hours away. No one bothered to go to sleep. The excitement was palpable in the air.

The Crimson Hounds arrived at the party. They had their own small party in their living quarters while waiting for their young genius to wake up.

Now, he was awake, and well, the chill on his bones was long gone, and he also joined them for the festivities.

“Look.” Zahn came to him and looked discreetly at the group of people gathered around one of the dining tables.

They didn’t seem to share the festival feeling. There was not a single smile on their faces.

“They are part of the Ameryn Brothers, aren’t they?” Adam said casually.

“Yeah.” Zahn laughed. “See their sour faces? They were celebrating the loudest when they heard news of your ‘death’ so they celebrated loud enough for us to hear. They look like clowns now.”

Then, people from various guilds came up to Adam and congratulated him on his quick recovery. They were all smiling and praising him for the things that transpired in the tutorial.

Adam was no stranger to such things. The weak often curried favor with him. This time, they did it for his potential future.

He just smiled and nodded.

Once the first group came to talk and praise him, another group followed in succession, all smiling from ear to ear. It was surprising to Adam that their mouths didn’t become numb from smiling so much.

The other Crimson Hounds went to get some food and drinks. They knew Adam would be busy for the next couple of hours. No one wanted to miss a chance to talk to the newly crowned S-ranker.

However, Digby didn’t go to drink or eat. He stood nearby, his posture straight and alert. He was keeping an eye on Adam, making sure nothing unexpected would happen—like a bodyguard.

After another group came and went, Adam’s smile faded slightly, and he hoped that he had some drinks to quench his parched tongue.

He didn’t want to drink alcoholic drinks. The Gathering was just a few hours away. He was too weak to deal with the effects of drunkenness.

Another figure stepped forward. The figure clearly wanted to talk to him. Adam felt a little bit frustrated, but he didn’t show it on his face. He just forced another smile and looked at the figure.

With an angular and handsome face, the figure extended a hand towards Adam to shake.

“Uh…” Adam was quite speechless, recognizing the person.

The figure didn’t speak a word. His hand still extended into a handshake.

Adam grabbed the hand and shook it.

“Hello.” Arkham said very formally. His snow-white hair reached his ears, and he was very handsome with cold silver eyes. He was also muscled like a bull.

It was a fascinating sight. Two S-rankers standing face-to-face.

“Hi,” Adam replied.

Arkham nodded, then he turned around and walked away. It was such a brief and weird encounter. He went back to eat his barbecue in peace.

‘Arkham the Introvert,’ Adam wryly smiled. ‘A shadow of the brilliant star, Sapphira.’

The year 2145 was a fascinating year. It was a year when two legendary geniuses appeared in the same tutorial. They also happened to be siblings—Sapphira and Arkham.

They dominated the tutorial. No one else in the tutorial had any chance to show their prowess, so these two were the only ones who became mercenaries from that tutorial group.

They were just too shiny—like two beautiful comets.

Back then, there wasn’t a council. The S-rankers were designed among the Handlers. They had no choice but to give both of them S-rank titles. They were truly exceptional.

They had seen monsters like Konrad Moriarty and Mauricio Slaughter also dominate their tutorial groups. However, Sapphira and Arkham didn’t only dominate; they completely obliterated the competition.

Sapphira was the more famous of the siblings. She was known for her unparalleled skills and strategic brilliance on the battlefield.

Everyone knew that she would fight for the throne one day. She was destined to rule.

Arkham, the shadow, was her loyal protector and confidant, always watching her back. He was a quiet man, always standing in the shadow, watching and waiting.

However, he was strong. Strong like a monster.

There was a saying—if you hurt Sapphira, a monster will come after you.

That monster was Arkham—the strongest man of his rank.

‘A man that was basically responsible for the Second Guild War,’ Adam thought.

‘His death was the start of conflict between the Star and Death factions. The Otherworld Killer killed him in his virtual reality pod. There was a rumor that the Otherworld Killer was Calamity himself.

‘Everyone knew that if they fought in Mortal Online, Arkham would win every time. If Arkham were alive for the Second Great Guild War, Star Faction would have had an had an easy victory.

‘That’s why everyone believed Calamity killed him. If Arkham stayed alive, he would’ve never been able to get the throne—never.’

Adam felt strange. He knew so much about the future that seeing some of these legendary figures alive left a strange taste in his mouth.

He then licked his dry lips and headed back to their living quarters. There was at least a sink where he could get some cold water.

Digby followed him with his eyes and kept his Kiryoku focused on him.

He reached the door and was about to open it, but then he heard a cough.

“Cough…” An old man with a cane in hand walked towards him. His cough sounded like he was having trouble breathing.

Adam turned to him, frowning. He didn’t know who he was. However, the old man’s cane had the sigil of the Imperial Order.

‘Imperial Order…’

“Hello, young man, cough…” Kory wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled weakly. “May we have a word?”

“Who are you?” Adam asked.

“Name’s Kory.” The old man answered. “I’m just an old man, but I am currently acting as a spokesman for the King.”

Adam removed his hand from the doorknob, keeping the door closed.

“Can we go for a walk?” Kory asked. “I want to show you something.”

Adam frowned, not too sure. He then saw Digby standing somewhat far, but looking towards them. It was almost like he heard it all. He nodded, as if he were giving his approval.

“Sure.”

Adam nodded and walked with him away from the bonfire, heading to a dark forest, with the trees moving like something half-alive, their wooden fingers scratching against each other.

“I am very happy that you are fine,” Kory said with an elderly smile. “When I heard what happened to you, I felt like my old heart couldn’t handle such shock. Gladly, you are fine.”

“Thanks…?” Adam didn’t know how to answer that; therefore, his thanks sounded like a question.

Kory just smiled and headed deeper into the forest. Adam followed closely behind, not exactly sure where they were going.

They were approaching a small mountain. Its peak barely above the tree line.