Chapter 41 -41-Alfred? A Butler?

Chapter 41: Chapter41-Alfred? A Butler?

The three of them found an open area near the edge of town.

The sun was slowly setting in the distance.

With the giant tree’s shadow gone, the golden-red glow of sunset shone unobstructed across the streets of Giantwood Town for the first time.

Large numbers of residents emerged from their homes.

Some cleared away the monsters’ remains.

Some helped support the wounded.

Most of them simply stood beneath the sunlight, silently gazing up at the sky above the town center—a sky that had not illuminated this place for ten whole years.

Zoey sat down against a stone wall.

"So I still have to wait before I can use my Class Change Scroll?"

"For now, yes."

John glanced at the still-incomplete quest information.

[Crimsonfeather Trial]

[Kill Targets: 50/50.]

[Kill the Shadow Archer: 0/1.]

[Excess EXP is currently being stored.]

"When we log in next time, we’ll head to Sunset City and search for clues first."

"If that doesn’t work, we’ll go directly to City Lord Raymond."

Zoey nodded.

"Fine by me."

Nonoa sat nearby, hugging her newly acquired Staff of Mercy as her head began to droop little by little.

The three of them had already been online for more than ten consecutive hours since entering the game today.

Waves of exhaustion began rising from deep within their bodies.

It was different from ordinary fatigue in the real world.

Their physical bodies were clearly lying inside their gaming pods, yet after playing for too long, their consciousness still became noticeably drowsy and sluggish.

Perhaps it was another anti-addiction mechanism built into the system.

John could not be bothered to think about it any further.

He opened his character panel.

[Player: Endbringer]

[Level: Lv20]

[EXP: 4510/7000]

[Class: Hidden God-Rank Class · Voidwalker]

[Talent: God-Rank · Supreme Evolution]

[Titles: Forerunner, Pioneer]

[HP: 11,450 (Constitution 1,145 × 10)]

[MP: 11,950 (Core Wisdom 1,145 + Void Staff 50, Final Wisdom 1,195 × 10)]

[Physical Attack: 1,325 (Strength 1,145 × 1 + Void Staff 180)]

[Spell Power: 1,415 (Final Wisdom 1,195 × 1 + Void Staff 220)]

[Strength: 1,145 (Base 10 + Accumulated Free Attribute Points 135 + White Briefs 1,000)]

[Constitution: 1,145 (Voidwalker Trait: Shares the current highest core attribute)]

[Agility: 1,145 (Voidwalker Trait: Shares the current highest core attribute)]

[Wisdom: 1,145 (Voidwalker Trait: Shares the current highest core attribute; Void Staff grants an additional 50 Wisdom)]

[Physical Defense: 1,566 (Constitution 1,145 × 1 + Holy Candle Bishop Set 420 + White Briefs 1)]

[Magic Defense: 1,705 (Constitution 1,145 × 1 + Holy Candle Bishop Set 560)]

[Spell Damage: +15%]

[Dark Resistance: +25%]

[Skills: Fire Serpent, Binding Chains, Holy Enchantment, Scan, Void Shift, Soul Clone, Wide-Area Casting, Void Spear]

[Equipment: S-Rank Void Staff, A-Rank Holy Candle Bishop Set, White Briefs, A-Rank Monocle Lens]

[Void Staff Affixes: Cleave, Overcharge, Impact Guard ×2, Bloodthirsty Strike, Lethal Damage, Mana Conservation, Projectile Amplification, CD Reduction ×2, Unbound Projectiles, Double Bind, Chains of Silence, Mana Reflux, Coldblooded Strike, Domain Expansion ×2, Reality Merge]

[White Briefs Affix: Deadly Backstab]

[Void Staff Exclusive Battle Skill: Void Spear]

He had advanced all the way from Lv16 to Lv20.

He had obtained five new Affixes.

He had completed a weapon fusion.

He had acquired the S-Rank Void Staff and its exclusive battle skill, [Void Spear].

He had even activated [Reality Merge] for the first time.

The rewards from this trip to Giantwood Town had already far exceeded his expectations.

John nodded in satisfaction and closed the panel.

"That’s enough for today."

"Next time we log in, we’ll continue working on the Class Change Scroll."

Zoey waved a hand.

"Remember to contact me in advance."

Nonoa struggled to open her eyes.

"Next time... I won’t land on my head again."

John fell silent for two seconds.

"Is that really the important part?"

The three of them exchanged a brief farewell.

[Do you wish to log out of Apocalypse?]

"Yes."

His vision gradually darkened.

The instant his consciousness disconnected from Apocalypse, John’s eyes snapped open.

The suffocating exhaustion he had felt inside the game vanished without a trace.

The gaming pod slowly opened.

John sat up and lowered his head to examine his body.

[Reality Merge] had already been completed.

His maximum HP in the real world had permanently increased by one thousand points.

However, aside from a warm sensation throughout his body and the feeling that endless Strength was surging through him, he could not detect any obvious changes for the time being.

John clenched his fist.

The electronic clock on the wall displayed nine in the morning.

Not particularly early.

Not particularly late either.

John pressed the control button beside the bed.

The heavy curtains slowly parted to either side.

Simulated sunlight filtered through the purification glass and streamed into the room, bathing the entire bedroom in a warm golden glow.

Through the floor-to-ceiling window, he could see the streets inside the residential community.

Some people were jogging in sportswear.

Others were walking genetically modified pet dogs.

The plants along the roadside swayed gently beneath the constant-temperature protective canopy.

For a brief moment, John felt as though he had returned to his former world.

No radiation.

No black snow.

No constantly rising daily death toll.

Outside the community, black snowflakes filled the sky, but the multilayered defensive walls kept them completely isolated.

The two worlds were separated by nothing more than a sheet of glass.

Ding-dong—

The doorbell rang.

John instinctively frowned.

At this hour, the only person likely to knock on his door was Zoey.

Thinking that, he casually threw on a coat and walked toward the entrance.

"Did that girl forget her key again?"

He raised a hand and pressed the door control.

The door slowly slid open.

Two people stood outside.

John froze for a moment.

It was not Zoey.

Only then did he suddenly remember that the property sales manager had mentioned yesterday that he would be bringing a butler over for an interview today.

"..."

John remained silent for half a second before quickly regaining his composure.

"Please, come in."

He stepped aside.

One of the two people outside was the sales manager from yesterday, wearing a professional smile.

The other was an elderly man with graying hair.

He appeared to be over sixty, yet his posture remained perfectly upright.

His silver-white hair was meticulously combed, and he wore a well-fitted dark suit. His cuffs and bow tie were both immaculately arranged.

His expression was gentle.

His bearing was refined.

Yet he did not give off the slightest impression of elderly sluggishness.

"Mr. John."

The sales manager introduced him with a smile.

"This is the private butler we selected for you."

"He has more than thirty years of experience serving high-end residences and has also passed the community’s security screening."

The old man bowed slightly.

"Good morning, sir."

"My name is Alfred Pennyworth."

"You may simply call me Alfred."

John paused.

"Alfred?"

Does that mean I’m supposed to be Bruce Wayne?

He nearly blurted the words out.

On second thought, however, the history of this world differed greatly from the one he had come from.

Batman most likely did not exist here.

Naturally, no one would understand the significance of that name.

John invited the two of them into the living room.

They spoke briefly.

In addition to handling daily meals, cleaning, and household maintenance, Alfred could also take care of purchases, vehicle servicing, visitor reception, and affairs involving the residential community.

Any matters John found inconvenient to handle personally could also be entrusted to him.

They quickly reached an agreement regarding salary and benefits.

The electronic employment contract was signed.

[Contract signed successfully.]

[Employment relationship has officially taken effect.]

John nodded.

"I’ll leave the household matters to you from now on."

"That is my duty, sir."