Chapter 5: Calm Before the Flames

End of Phase 1

Nico: "WAH DI BUMBOCLAAT WRANG WID THAT FOOL!"

Nico: "THAT BUMBO-BLOODCLAAT BATTY HEAD!"

Nico screams with violent rage as the group sprints in pursuit towards Rico. Nico's sudden change in language leaves Banko dumbfounded, questioning Nico's ethnicity, surprised by the evidence of Nico's bilingualism.

Banko: "Where did you learn how to speak Jamaican?"

Nico: "Memes!"

Banko frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, face turning from an expression of interest to disappointment in response to Nico's reply.

Banko: Why am I not surprised?

He genuinely asked himself while staring at the red-haired loose cannon in front of them.

Rico closes the distance between him and the vibrant flash of rainbow-like light, a wide grin manifesting on his face, resembling a child savouring ice cream for the first time. Rico's grin widens as he approaches the light. Elara, Nico, and Banko manage to close the distance, arriving at a large open space shaped like a giant circle, almost resembling a battle arena.At the centre of this unusual geographic landscape stands a creature with scales shimmering in iridescent hues, reflecting the colours of the rainbow. Long, flowing fins trail gracefully behind it, exuding a majestic aura as it moves through the air with effortless grace. What stands before the group is not an ordinary floating fish; it is-

Rico: "A GIANT RAINBOW FISH!?"

Rico's face fell, brows furrowing slightly, and their eyes conveyed a sense of letdown, a subtle downturn at the corners of their mouth revealing disappointment.

Elara: "Amazing, you boys are lucky."

The boys wear puzzled expressions, eyebrows knitting together, eyes gazing at Elara with subtle head tilts and furrowed foreheads, conveying a sense of bewilderment.

Banko: "What? Why?"

Banko inquires.

Elara: "Because a rainbow monster is very rare to find, and if you slay one, you will get double the level poi—"

Before Elara finishes her sentence, the boys sprint towards the giant rainbow fish.

Nico: "Banko!"

Nico shouts for assistance. Banko nods and summons a wooden pillar through the ground. Nico leaps on top of the pillar, using it like a staircase to gain better altitude as he approaches the fish. Nico steps on the flat tip of the wooden pillar, propelling himself into the air like a catapult.

Opening his inventory screen, Nico equips the half-bladed daggers labeled “Molten dagger.”

Nico: "Once I'm done with you, I'm going to get myself a new pair of daggers."

Nico mutters to himself, closing the distance between him and the fish, swinging daggers through the air to slash at it. However, with unprecedented speed, the fish dodges Nico's attack, leaving the boys in surprise.

Nico: "Huh!?"

Banko and Rico: "What the!?"

After Nico safely lands on the ground and picks himself up, the giant fish moves at blinding speed towards him, headbutting him so hard that he goes flying across the land until he hits one of the colossal trees.

Nico: "Agh!"

Nico yells in pain as the scorching sensation on the back of his head and the feeling of his organs being torn in his stomach courses through his body.

“– 40 health.”

The boys looked at the damage indicator in surprise as if they had just witnessed a crime against humanity.

Rico: "Negative what, health!!?"

Banko: "How? It's a level 3 monster, and why is it fighting back!?"

Banko stated as he questioned the consistency of the AI programming in the game.

Elara: "Now if you let me finish, I was going to mention that rainbow monsters are slightly stronger and smarter than their originals."

A frown etched across Elara's face, accompanied by a narrowing of the eyes, crossed arms, revealing a clear sense of irritation as she explained the difficulty of fighting a rainbow monster.

Banko: "Seriously!"

Banko pounded his head with his wooden staff as he tried to think of a way to deal with the situation. Then a thought popped into his head.

Banko: (Slightly, she said slightly stronger and smarter right?) He thought. (The original fishes were so dumb they never bothered to fight back against us, that means this fish is still dumb but not as dumb as a rock.)

Banko's lips curled into a wide smile resembling the smile of a cartoon villain.

Banko: "Rico, Nico, I've got a plan!"

Nico and Rico turned their heads to Banko in surprise at his sudden yelling. Elara slightly tilted her head and held her chin, expressing her curiosity towards Banko's intentions.

Banko: "Nico, you're the fastest out of the three of us, so I need you to bait the fish. And Rico, since you're the ‘strongest’ one out of the three of us."

Banko bent his fingers, mocking Rico's title as the strongest out of the three of them by Elara.

Banko: "I need you to land the final blow. Also, try not to get hurt, one-hit man."

Nico voluntarily nodded his head at Banko's request, while Rico also accepted but protested against the “one-hit man” nickname.

Elara: "This is getting interesting."

Elara stated in thought.

Nico: "I hope you know what you're doing, Banko."

Nico muttered to himself as he prepared his stance.

Banko: "I want you to hit the fish on the head with all your strength. So when I yell ‘go,’ that will be your signal to attack, so wait here until I say it."

Banko said to Rico and prepared to aim his staff at the direction of the giant rainbow fish.

Rico: "OK, I hope you know what you're doing."

Banko scoffed at Rico's words.

Banko: (I hadn't spent 2 years of my life playing nothing but online poker for nothing.) 

He thought.

Nico bolted towards the giant fish, catching its attention. The fish flew towards Nico at a blinding speed. Thanks to Nico putting a large majority of his experience points on his agility stat, he was able to outmaneuver the fish. However, it wouldn't last long until the fish caught up to him.

Banko summoned a large number of wooden pillars in front of the fish's line of sight, redirecting it to another direction to reach Nico. Nico sprinted around the land in a circle that got smaller and smaller.

The fish managed to find a gap between the wooden pillars and bolted past them, straight in front of Nico.

Nico: "Shoo-"

Banko: "GO!"

As Nico was about to scream after being jumpscared by the giant fish, a loud echo of Banko's voice reached his ears.

Rico sprints towards the direction where Nico and the giant fish are laid, a wooden pillar appears in front of him. Rico dashed on top of the pillar until he finally reached its tip and leaped into the air with full force.

Nico: What the?

While Nico was distracted by Rico and Banko's stunt, the giant fish seized the opportunity to dash towards Nico, attempting to thrash him against the ground. In an instant, a loud cacophony, resembling a shattered rock, erupted, accompanied by a large dust cloud.

Nico: "Gah, my ears!?"

Covering his ears, Nico yelled. Upon opening his eyelids, he witnesses Rico standing on top of the giant fish in a large crater, his fist penetrating through its head. Nico's eyes widen in disbelief, mouth slightly agape, unable to comprehend what he's witnessing. A blank and perplexed expression settles on his face, conveying dumbfounded astonishment.

Elara: (That was unexpectedly impressive.)

Elara: (Their cooperative capabilities were beyond my expectations, and they've already become well accustomed to combat despite knowing nothing about it yesterday.)

Elara: (They might end up fighting the vampire queen sooner than I assumed.)

Elara speculates to herself about the time it would take for the boys to potentially surpass even her. In the background, the boys cheer for their victory, giving each other a group hug while jumping with joy.

The giant rainbow fish's corpse shatters into small crystal shards, exploding into multiple blue balls in the air. The numerous blue balls fly towards the boys, each leveling up to level 5.

Elara claps her hands, applauding the boys for their performance.

The boys wear wide grins on their faces with pride and joy. A large blue screen appears in front of them, displaying:

Main quest: the Awakening, completed

Requirement: Reach level 5

Rewards:

• 500 level points 

• 3 bloodline Affinity abilities

• 3 dragonkin abilities

The boys leveled up to level 6.

Elara: What?

Elara: Did you just level up, but I saw you absorb all the balls already?

Elara wears a puzzled expression, gazing at the boys with eyes filled with uncertainty and concern.

Unintentionally ignoring Elara's question, the boys open their menu screens to see what skills they have unlocked. On Nico's screen, three skills are highlighted, meaning he has unlocked his chosen class's skills: Shadow Step, Venomous Strike and Cloak of Shadows (Ultimate Move). On Banko's screen, he has only unlocked two class skills because his first was automatically unlocked; his new skills are Elemental Blast and Guardian Ascension. Finally, on Rico's screen, he unlocked Elemental Strike, Elemental Resistance, Elemental Barrage (Ultimate Move).

Impatiently, Rico exits his class skills list and enters his race skills list. However, despite the quest screens stating the boys gained three dragonkin abilities, only one is highlighted—unexpectedly, it's the Dragon Mode skill.

Rico: (HELL YEAH)

A radiant smile lights up Rico's face, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. Eager anticipation and heightened energy are evident as he leans forward, exuding an excited vibe that is contagious. Rico attempts to equip the skill, but a blue rectangle appears on his screen, written “passive skill unequippable.”

Rico: Huh, what's a passive skill?

Rico asks with a low tone filled with pure bewilderment.

Elara: Oh, that's right. Passive skills are skills that are automatically equipped once you have unlocked them. However, you need to meet certain requirements to activate them.

Elara answers Rico's question as Rico's face falls, brows furrowing slightly, and a subtle downturn of his mouth conveys his disappointment.

Banko: Oh right, that's what you told us yesterday about the Dragon Mode skill.

Banko: That sucks.

Nico: WHO GIVES A DAMN, WE CAN USE MAGIC NOW!!

Nico preaches with a face full of excitement.

Elara looks up at the sky, seeing it slowly getting dark, signaling that it's getting late.

Elara: That's enough training for today; let's go home. And as a reward for your hard work, I've got a special surprise for you.

Elara stated with a wink.

The boys' eyes widen with curiosity, brows slightly raised in anticipation. A blend of curiosity and excitement paints a vibrant expression on their faces.

…

Within the living room of Elara's house, the boys sit on their own individual chairs in front of a tall table placed where the coffee table was previously stationed. They look at each other intensely with narrowed eyes, straightened eyebrows, and hands held together on top of the table, imitating the aura of businessmen having an important discussion in a meeting room.

Banko: What do you guys think she meant by ‘special surprise?’

Banko asks them with a husky voice.

Nico: No clue; that woman's unpredictable.

Nico: Now that I mention it, we know nothing about her other than her name and power level, yet we are here living and sleeping in her house for free.

Nico unravels, noticing the mysterious nature of the elf woman who was once their enemy, now acting as their tutorial guide.

Rico: What if she plans on rewarding us by wearing an erotic outfit?

Rico says with a wide grin, removing the serious aura surrounding him.

Banko: I doubt that; she doesn't seem to be the type of woman who enjoys getting attention from men.

The sound of a wooden door opening echoes throughout the house as the sound of the hard wooden floor clashing against a heavy force mixes with it. Elara appears, carrying a basket full of unfamiliar goods.

Elara places the goods on the table, which appear to be dark wooden cups containing a golden smooth liquid and a large mass covered in green leaves emitting a scent resembling the smell of spiced chicken.

Elara: Your reward for your hard work will be the Sylvanire Canopy's famous food and beverage.

Elara opens her arms towards the wooden cups and leaf-covered mass.

Elara: Enchanted leaf wraps and nectarine elixirs.

The boys silently stare at the food with an air of suspicion.

Nico grabs one of the enchanted leaf wraps and nectarine elixirs while Rico and Banko look at him with concerned facial expressions.

Nico: T-Thank you (please don't taste like krap)

Nico quietly gulps his throat as he takes a bite out of the leaf wrap and sips the nectarine elixirs. The room enters a moment of silence as Banko and Rico await Nico's reaction.

Nico: This… this is… DELICIOUS!

A sigh of relief escapes as tension melts away from Banko and Rico's faces. They both decide to eat the leaf wraps and drink the elixir. Their eyes beam as they stare at the food. In almost an instant, the boys start eating the food like wild animals that hadn't eaten food in several days while gratefully thanking Elara for her graciousness.

Elara: (What a bunch of oddballs)

Elara gazes silently at the boys, observing Nico and Rico in their playful struggle over a leaf wrap. In her eyes, a vivid image unfolds—a young blonde elf boy and an adult elf woman with long silver hair engaged in a similar playful bout over a plate of food in a white room reminiscent of a royal dining area.

Elara releases a soft giggle, her smile irresistibly blending with the moment.

Captivated by Elara's smile, the boys freeze in their tracks. Rico, influenced by the moment, seizes one of the leaf wraps and skillfully fashions the leaves into a bird origami.

Banko: AAAH!!

The sight of the bird origami triggers a dramatic response from Banko, causing him to leap off from his chair.

Elara: What's wrong? Why do you look so afraid?

Elara inquires with genuine concern, but Rico reveals the reason.

Rico: Banko has had an irrational fear of birds since he was little.

Rico starts chasing Banko around the house, while Elara and Nico watch, sharing laughter. However, Elara's laughter fades as she narrows her eyes, observing the boys happily playing together.

Elara: (If only, if only things didn't turn out that way, then maybe I wouldn't have…)

A vision intrudes upon Elara's mind—a black figure resembling a female surrounded by burning houses and burnt corpses. The figure grins at Elara and walks through a giant portal. The vision shifts to a male and female elves corpses on Elara's arms, bearing a resemblance to her.

Clenching her fist, Elara's heart fills with anger and sadness. In a voice laden with genuine hatred, she whispers the next words.

Elara: I WILL MAKE YOU PAY, VAMPIRE QUEEN.

Chapter 5 ends.