Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

“So what can we do, Alina? How can we prevent the Eye of Hermod from doing everything it wants? They barely resemble a rotten tree that refuses to topple.”

Alina closed her eyes for a moment, as if searching for an answer in the depths of her mind. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at Kaizen.

“First, we need to understand more about the nature of chaos and mana. I know a lot about it, but there are still gaps that need to be filled. In every world, there are cardinal points of mana, special places as far as I can remember. If my theory is right, disastrous things have happened in these places to make them so sensitive to mana. I’ll research them and pass on a list to you, but we can’t do it alone.”

“You’re suggesting we set up a team, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that what’s been on your mind for a while?” She replied, smiling, as she always noticed him a lot.

Kaizen smiled too. “Are you sure you can’t read minds? Because you read me like an open book.”

Alina laughed, and the sweet sound of her laughter echoed through the shelves of the Mages’ Library. “I can’t read minds, but after all this time of friendship, I think I’ve learned to read you.”

Kaizen shook his head, admiring how Alina managed to maintain her grace even in tense moments. “So, forming a team is the first step. But who should we recruit?”

She looked thoughtful for a moment and then said:

“If I’m right, you’ve already given this a lot of thought and I trust you’ll look for the right people, people you trust and admire. However, don’t forget that they must of course be skilled and fearless, otherwise it won’t do any good.

Kaizen nodded, thinking of all the friendships he had made during his Rise Online journey. “I know exactly where to start. By the way, Alina, do you know how I found a Guild?”

“Um…. If I’m not mistaken, based on a conversation with Og’tharoz, you should start by going to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Thanks, Alina. I’ll go right away.” Kaito says and opens his system window.

*

As Kaizen remembered that the Adventurers’ Guild in the Tretidian Capital was always very crowded, he used a Teleportation Crystal to Holinda, one of the kingdom’s large cities, but one that was considerably smaller than the capital.

𝒪𝐕𝗅xt.𝗇et

The walls of Holinda rose majestically in the background, made of solid gray stone and decorated with the shields of the various noble families who lived in the city, which didn’t bring back many good memories for Kaizen. There were no local guards, just lots of adventurers, most of them wearing shiny armor or light leather armor. As the fame of Rise Online grew, it was common for a start-up town to have a lot of newcomers.

Kaizen, wearing his hood, then began to walk along the cobbled streets, so he could observe the picturesque architecture of the city. The buildings were built with gray stone walls, with red tiled roofs that sloped gently. Well-tended gardens surrounded some of them, with colorful flowers in full bloom. It was as if the city was in an eternal spring festival.

The streets were full of players and many NPCs, some of them carrying baskets of fresh fruit, others trading at colorful stalls selling a variety of goods, from clothes and fruit to weapons.

The sound of street musicians filled the air, and the aroma of food being prepared in small taverns made Kaizen’s stomach rumble.

In a way, Holinda functioned differently from the Tretidian capital, and that was as clear as the sun. Perhaps Klaus was surprised by this because he had lived in the capital for so long. In any case, as Kaizen approached the city center, he spotted the imposing headquarters of the Holinda Adventurers’ Association. It was a three-storey building with a carved stone façade and a large solid wooden door that was always open to receive adventurers looking for quests and guilds.

On entering the association’s headquarters, Kaizen was greeted by a large hall with a high ceiling, supported by stone columns.

Wooden tables were scattered around the hall, where adventurers chatted, studied maps and exchanged stories of their journeys.

At the counter, a thin, white man was writing in a large ledger. This was Pavin Dunhall, the dedicated attendant of the Holinda Adventurers’ Association. He raised his eyes when he heard the sound of the bell over the door and then his head.

“Hello, traveler!” He greeted. “How can I help you today?”

“Good evening.” Kaizen returned the greeting. “I’m here to get information about founding a guild.” He said, removing his hood.

However, the moment Kaizen took off his hood, the man’s smile disappeared.

Kaizen noticed the sudden change in Pavin Dunhall’s expression when he removed the hood. The warm smile that had once lit up the attendant’s face disappeared, replaced by an expression of surprise mixed with a touch of suspicion, and thanks to this Kaizen knew he had been recognized.

‘Shit, I thought my fame wouldn’t change anything with the NPCs…’ Kaizen thought.

Pavin Dunhall frowned and his brown eyes narrowed. His expression turned from surprise to puzzlement as he studied Kaizen’s face.

“You…” he began, looking Kaizen over from head to toe. “You’re that adventurer who came through here a few months ago, aren’t you?”

Kaizen raised his eyebrows, surprised by the man’s memory, but a little relieved. Then, with a softer smile, he replied:

“Yes, it’s me.” he replied, with a hint of guilt.

In the first few days that Kaizen was playing RO, he met Pavin Dunhall and sold him some leftover monsters, but shortly afterwards he met Klank, who was a more convenient dealer to meet.

“I promised I’d come back to do business and sell more monster remains, but things got complicated. Sorry.”

Pavin smiled, revealing a set of perfectly aligned white teeth. “Well, you’re back now, that’s what matters. Some adventurers make promises and never come back, but I knew you had a word.”

“I have to confess that it takes an incredible memory to remember a customer you’ve only seen once in your life.”

The attendant lifted his chin proudly. “I have an eidetic memory. I never forget a face, a promise or any useful information I can pass on to adventurers like you.”