MONSTER MMORPG: Mayhem Online

"So, have you planned to join the competition yet?"

Scarlett asked as she slowly took a scoop out of her ice cream and ate.

"What's the rush? For now, I have no plans to join the competition."

I said with a relaxed expression. I was obviously lying through my teeth, I had already planned to take part in the competition, just I wouldn't let them know yet. Since I had already lost the legendary grade eye powers, it was time to go all in and accept the competition request on the last day.

Scarlett had an agitated expression on her face, clearly annoyed that I wasn't willing to join the competition when her higher-ups kept forcing her to convince me anyhow.

"Well, what's going on with the other legendary class? Has he accepted?"

I asked casually. It was a piece of important information that would reveal his current strength to me. If he had agreed to join the competition, it would mean he already had enough levels and stats to back that up. Which wouldn't be that surprising considering he was already a ranker and the boost that gave 275% more experience until you caught up to your level.

Ever since I had gotten my class, the time I had solely dedicated to levelling up was close to none. Most of the levels I gained were through or in the process of doing a quest.

Scarlett looked at me from the corner of her eyes and then shook her head.

"Leaking any type of player information isn't something that Kibea does. And you're also a player."

She basically meant that if she revealed Abel's information to me, it'd mean she can reveal my information to others too, which I definitely wouldn't want.

Well, too bad.

—-Tsk!

I clicked my tongue and waited for her to finish her ice cream.

After a while, she paid the bill and we got out of the hotel.

"It was nice doing such a political date with you."

Scarlett said in a sarcastic tone. We had come here to get to know each other and such things but ended up talking about Mayhem and such things.

"Well, likewise."

I said as I entered her Desert Scorpion's driving seat.

She looked at me with enquiring eyes and I simply showed her my licence with a grin.

Rolling her eyes, she sat on the seat beside me and I started the engine.

—-Rrrrrrrrrrr!

The loud engine sound was very thrilling as the car started, and then as soon as I stepped on the gas.

—-Zoom!

Fucking nice! This is what I've been living for!

"Hey, hey. Slow down, you haven't driven a car before, have you?"

Scarlett said as she clenched on the seatbelt, her eyes squinting.

"Slow down? Yeah, maybe in the next life."

***

"Hoh? Since when did you get this car?"

I looked at Harold and asked with my eyebrows raised. After logging into the game, I was about to depart for the Drisica kingdom after saying goodbye to Ena, I saw that Harold was waiting for me outside the castle, and a car that looked like the 1900s version of the Rolls Royce was beside him.

Unlike other fantasy settings, Mayhem had a thing called magic engineering which made many things possible while still being in a mediaeval setting. Cars, trains and such were a part of these settings. But Cars were very, very expensive and mostly only high nobles could afford them.

In the Kashan Empire, the people who had cars can be counted on one hand. While Sahhan Empire had a lot of Nobles with cars, even the lowest ranking noble that had a car was an Earl.

I should have expected Harold to have a car or two being the high standing noble that he was.

"Haha! I have 6 cars, but this one is quite special since it has been in the family for centuries. It is like a family heirloom which gets necessary upgrades from time to time."

Harold said as he gently touched the car with his hand, various emotions fluctuating in his eyes. Since he said it was like a family heirloom, then he must be missing his father and ancestors right about now.

"I see that you have been travelling on foot every time you come here since you have become my daughter's fiance, this heirloom should naturally pass on to you. Trust me, you wouldn't want to look down on it because it's old, it can beat most of the cars nowadays too, plus it has quite a few features."

Harold declared proudly.

"Features?"

"You'll find out when you drive, what's the fun in telling it to you right away?"

He said mysteriously and then handed over a metallic card to me.

'It's the keys, I suppose?'

I haven't driven an in-game car before, so I had no idea before this. Cars inside Mayhem were powered by magic stones, so one could recharge them themselves if they had enough magic and it gave a lot of mileage compared to real-life cars.

"This car would be a huge help, so I won't be polite. I'll make sure I use it properly and don't break any sentiments behind this car."

I said and Harold hugged me lightly before saying.

"I know you have an immortal body, but still be safe, okay? Your life isn't yours alone anymore. And you do have penalties for dying right? I mean, just take care."

I somehow felt very warm inside my stomach. Harold was showing me a love that I was devoid of my whole life, fatherly love.

"I'll take care, do not worry, father."

I said without thinking. It was like an instinct, and Harold looked at me with a pleasantly surprised expression. Previously he had given me options to either call him Harold or father, and I had chosen the former for obvious reasons.

'Well, he's the father of my future wife… so it's fine, right?'

In the end, I justified my own words, feeling no shame in doing so. The figure of a father was a very traumatic one in my life, that's why I was surprised at myself at how I was changing.

I should have been rampaging right about now thinking of the asshole who had given me his genes but never called me his son, neither let me call him father. I was nothing more than a test subject to that madman.

—-Hah!

I put my hand on my face and couldn't help but smile helplessly. To think I was regretting my whole life being born just because of him. It was pathetic and funny.

"Are you alright...son?"

Harold looked at me with genuine worry, with an expression that said that he could somehow feel my pain.

I looked at him, and without realising my eyes turned moist. It was a really small gesture but it had caused waves of suppressed emotions raging inside my heart, which made me hug Harold, tears falling down my eyes silently without even a single word escaping my mouth.

'Why am I so weak?'

That's right. I was very weak, emotionally. It felt like yesterday when I couldn't accept the fact and would rage inside my house, breaking things all alone.

"Hey, it's fine. Whatever that's troubling you, tell it to me and we can solve it together, yeah?"

Harold, who was at least twice my age, rubbed my back as he said.

Even when he tried to console me, I didn't utter a single word but my tears just wouldn't stop. Maybe it was like a necessary relief that I had been needing for years. Because after a while, when I finally calmed down, I couldn't help but feel very refreshed.

"I'm fine now. Sorry, and thank you."

I said with a grateful yet embarrassed expression after I left his embrace. To think I would pull such a stunt.

"It's fine. Are you okay now?"

Harold asked with a fatherly smile. The same smile I see from him and Kai when they're around their daughters.

"I am totally fine, I'll get going now. And don't worry about what just happened."

"Why not? Let's solve the problem if you have one."

Harold said with a confused expression and I smiled bitterly.

"The thing that needed to be solved has already been solved, this was just an after-effect, I guess?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

I shook my head. A memory that had been engraved deep within my heart resurfaced again.

A small child, with blood staining his whole body, looking at the corpse of a guy in a scientist's coat, his body torn from one place to another.

"Anyways, I'll get going now."

"Hmm, and don't take the king lightly. Every king has a lot of shadows spread throughout their kingdoms."

Harold warned and I made a mental note to keep that in mind before using the skill card that the emperor had given me.

['Disguise of the Fool' skill is now active.]

And just as I thought in my head, my skin tone changed back to the previously human colour and my tail and horns disappeared, my eyes turned back to normal and I turned into my real-life character Flynn Grey, from the now monster-like Shura.

[100 mana has been consumed, another 100 will be consumed after an hour.]

"OH?"

"This is how I looked previously, so you can call this my human appearance?"

I chuckled as Harold looked at me in surprise. Then I entered the car and placed the card inside the socket near the handle.

—-Grrrrrrr!

The car engine roared twice and I got multiple notification windows in front of me.

[You have sat inside the 'Sahhan's Eagle'.]

[Skill 'Magic Car Driving Lv1' has been unlocked.]

[The rare rated 'Sahhan's Eagle' has an auto-driving function, please input your destination.]

[Destination 'Lordir' has been set.]

'Let's go.'

And the car drove past the Wenselm dukedom at a breakneck speed.

***

//DreamNote//

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