“Alright… Alright… I really have no options in this case, huh? Dang…” Aron shook his head with a helpless smile.
Enver merely smirked, his fingers still steepled as he leaned forward slightly. The dim light flickered again, casting sharp angles across his face.
“Smart boy…”
“....”
A vein seemingly popped out of Aron’s forehead.
Smart boy, he said.
The audacity of this NPC.
Thankfully you ain’t my enemy.
Don’t blame me if your wallet is gonna be empty.
“But don’t look so defeated just yet. This verification won’t be as bad as you think.”
Aron sighed. “Yeah? Then do tell me.”
Enver’s smirk widened. “No catch. Just… a minor detour.”
Aron raised an eyebrow. He had done enough of these ‘minor detours’ to know they usually involved either getting shot at, running for his life, or both.
“Define minor.”
Enver tapped a few buttons on his own datapad, and Aron’s wrist device pinged in response. A new objective flashed on his screen.
…
New Quest Objective: Verify the Authenticity of the Package
- Travel to District 17 – The Rusted Spire
- Meet with Contact: Kiera, the Relic Examiner
- Ensure the package is legitimate before Enver releases information
…
Aron exhaled sharply through his nose. “You know what, that doesn’t sound bad. Couldn’t just take my word for it, huh?”
“Business is business,” Enver replied smoothly. “And in my business, trust is a currency even rarer than credits.”
Aron clicked his tongue, closing the notification on his wrist screen. “Fine. Rusted Spire, right? What’s the deal with this Kiera?”
“She’s… particular. She deals in things most people wouldn’t dare to touch. Old tech, lost relics, things that might be cursed, haunted, or worse.” Enver leaned back in his chair in glad tiding.
Aron pinched the upperside of his nose. “Very good. So I’m walking into a haunted scrapyard. Beautiful.”
“You’ll hang on.” Enver let out a dry chuckle.
Aron rolled his shoulders as he adjusted his satchel once more. The weight, once comforting, now felt heavier with the new burden of yet another task.
“Alright, I’m heading out. But I swear man, if this package turns out to be some binding artifact that binds my precious to me or something, I’m gonna have some very strong words for you when I get back.” Aron said half jokingly while walking toward the door.
Enver merely waved him off. “We’ll see.”
“Oh right, before that,” Aron stopped his steps as he looked back toward Enver.
"Before I go, lemme make sure one more time, is this truly the last task that you are going to give me before finally I got the clue?"
Enver chuckled, the sound low and knowing. “Ah, you’re learning, aren’t you?” He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the battered desk, considering Aron’s question with a smirk. “I could give you the standard ‘trust me’ line, but let’s be real, you don’t trust me. Smart.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Aron scratched his head a little, his expression deadpan. “That’s not an answer.”
Enver laughed, moving a bit forward with its hands formed a bridge on the table, “Fine. You get this verification done, and I’ll give you the clue. No more surprises, no extra errands. Just what you came for.” His gaze became a bit serious. “But I’ll warn you, knowing isn’t always the same as having. The clue will put you on the right path, but you’ll still have to work for it.”
Aron shrugged. “Figures.” He studied Enver for a moment, trying to gauge any deception. The information broker was slippery, always keeping his cards close. But for once, Enver seemed to be on the good mark.
“Alright,” Aron muttered, adjusting his satchel. “One last job.”
Enver smiled. “That’s the spirit. Try not to die.”
Aron rolled his eyes and turned toward the door.
One last job.
Yeah, right.
I swear I’ll demolish this whole area if he ain’t up to his words
…
In this world, Unique Rarity Items' value went beyond simple stats or abilities; they are strategic assets that could shift the balance of power, making them highly sought after by mercenaries, corporations, and underground factions alike.
Unlike standard weapons, gear, or artifacts, Unique Rarity Items cannot be replicated, very hard to be crafted, or easily traded. Each one has a special property—whether it’s a weapon with an ability that defies physics, a relic tied to ancient secrets, or a tool that grants access to forbidden knowledge. Owning one means possessing something no one else can obtain.
Some Unique Rarity Items weren’t solely about pure skills or power, they could be some keys to deeper layers of the world. Certain items unlock secret locations, activate hidden quests, or even grant access to restricted areas of the city.
Suddenly, as Aron walked away, a man appeared beside him, which followed Aron to walk away beside Aron. A little bit behind Aron to be exact.
The weird thing was that, the man appeared seamlessly as if he had been there from the beginning. He had a frightening looking spear attached on his back, with a dark red cloak shrouded on over his back.
"Mora, it would help us if you could go to our location as quickly as possible. How long are you going to take your time?" the man said with a pretty low voice.
Aron didn't even flinch, worse or not he didn't even look beside him to see who the man was. He just kept on walking with his eyes still looking forward.
"Sigh… Still can't for now. More like, still don’t wa- Nah, I’ve done my job there, yea. I've laid out the plan for you guys, and you guys just need to implement it, right. What's the hurry?"
The man sighed a little as he heard what Aron said, sounding somewhere between mild amusement and frustration. “What’s the hurry?” he echoed, shaking his head slightly. “Mora, time is passing fast. The plan means nothing if things change before we act. You being there could guarantee things better.”
Aron still didn’t look at him. His strides even, and his expression unreadable. “I accounted for those so-called changes too, right. You just have to stick to the timing. Rushing in before the window opens is just asking for a beating.”
The man clicked his tongue, adjusting the spear on his back. “What is even going on with your personal errands anyway...”
Aron smirked. “Yeah, well. Information’s part of the game too, isn’t it?”
That earned a quiet chuckle from the man. “You and your socalled wild cards. Always treating it like it’s the real power.”
“It is a real power.”
“You really believe that?” His voice wasn’t mocking, he sounded genuinely curious.
Aron finally glanced at him, just for a second. “I don’t believe it. I know it.”
“...I mean if information is related and all, sure, but yours…”
The man studied Aron for quite a moment, then sighed. “Fine. Have it your way. It’s your deserved personal errands anyway. But I just hope you don’t take too long.”
Aron gave a lazy looking wave over his shoulder. “Lemme just play in peace, yea. Just stick to the plan...”
“We’ll try…”
The man walked for a few more steps before vanishing as seamlessly as he had appeared.
Step…
Step…
Step…
Aron didn’t break his stride.
If anything, he walked as if the man was not even there at all. No change of pace, still being nonchalant as ever.
Few moments after that, just like the man that vanished just now, somehow Aron also followed his steps, vanishing himself out of thin air.
…
Beep!
“Haaa…”
Aron exhaled as he pulled himself out of the game pod, the sensation of returning to the real world always feeling a little off after an extended session.
The soft glow of the pod’s interface screen. A faint hum of electronics filled the air, the only real sound in his otherwise quiet space. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking off the lingering intensity of the session.
He glanced at the clock on his desk.
Pretty late.
Not the latest he’d ever played, but enough that he’d have to decide between sleep or food. His stomach grumbled, making the choice for him.
“Food first. Then I’ll figure out the rest, huh.”
He started to walk down the stairs, intending to go to the place where the delicacy had been waiting for him.
"Dear, are you done there…?"
As he walked toward the small kitchenette in his house, A woman's voice came over as Aron started to sit down, preparing himself to eat.
Aron smiled a little hearing her voice.
Who else besides his very wife of him.