Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

A spherical device the size of an adult's clenched fist materialised from thin air, floating directly before Ivan's face. It was the Clue drive. The enigmatic device projected intricate information in the form of a dazzling hologram.

"How difficult was your journey?" Lady Flux asked, her voice calm and probing.

"Apart from the inherent difficulty in killing zombies, I would say that my journey to deliver this object was smooth and devoid of any significant danger."

"Is that so? You didn't meet any suspicious person?"

Ivan reflected back on the journey. He had seen a great many people on the street on his way to the restaurant, but none of them had triggered his alarm bells. Then there was Shard, the enigmatic NPC he had met in New Yolk City before he was abruptly removed from the Gamers' Realm. None of the individuals mentioned seemed to be worth troubling himself over.

Ivan shook his head, a slight frown touching his brow. "I don't recall encountering any person who raised suspicions."

"Consider yourself fortunate. Most of the time, after discovering clues, the world seems to want to devour us."

Lady Flux snapped her fingers, a sharp, decisive sound that prompted the floating spherical device to hum to life. Its spherical being glowed with a faint blue light. A dynamic graphic was then projected into the air before them.

The motion graphic depicted various eras and periods in which significant plagues had relentlessly ravaged regions. The plagues included, but were not limited to; the Black Death, the Cocolitzli epidemic, the First Cholera pandemic, the Plague of Cyprian, and the Antonine Plague, to mention but a few. It also meticulously detailed the duration of each plague, the ground zero or origin of the disease, and the regions that were severely impacted during the devastating outbreaks.

The motion graphic concluded with a profoundly significant display: "Clue to the Earth, history — History of illnesses."

Without a warning, the spherical device exploded into dazzling fragments of light, slightly startling Ivan. The whole building shook violently, and then a monumental announcement appeared in the sky across the Torn Indigo:

"Clue to the Earth, history — History of illnesses have been found."

"Clue to the Earth, history — History of illnesses have been found."

"Clue to the Earth, history — History of illnesses have been found."

Although Ivan was inside a closed office, he could inexplicably see the three rounds of announcement that appeared vividly in the sky.

"You should be proud of yourself."

Ivan returned his gaze to Lady Flux, a wide, genuine smile now gracing his face. "I'm very proud of myself."

"Your contribution will be rewarded, but your contribution won't be made public. This is a necessary precaution for your safety. Also, do not go about telling people about your achievement."

"I will, my lady," Ivan affirmed respectfully.

"Your reward will be processed and delivered to you as soon as possible. I believe that's all for the moment."

Ivan braced himself, expecting to be instantly teleported out of the office. A few seconds passed, and he was still in the office. He opened his mouth, wanting to inquire why he remained.

Lady Flux laughed, a soft, amused sound at the man's confusion. "It doesn't always work quickly. Give it some time."

Ivan waited a few more seconds before he was indeed teleported back to Bangyu restaurant.

Brainboss_7 was now calmly sipping a mug of hot chocolate. He acted completely ignorant of Ivan's presence.

"Can I ask you a favour?" Ivan said.

"Well, with your recent achievement, I'm rather forced to owe you one."

"I want you to help me keep this rapier and the bazooka. I don't have anywhere safe to store them."

Brainboss_7 nodded, taking another slow drink from the ceramic mug. Ivan then exited the restaurant, leaving behind Jiggy's rapier and Door-Knob's bazooka.

Outside the restaurant, Ivan called his friends to check up on them. He called the three of them at once with a group call. Their faces soon appeared on the screen. Ivan sighed in profound relief. However, he hadn't been overtly worried like the previous times when disaster had struck the region. After confirming that they were all unscathed and safe, Ivan went to find his sedan.

He located his sedan, still parked at the exact spot he had left it before going to fight off the zombies. He checked the back seat and saw the lady passenger still cowering in fear. She dared not to look up, terrified that she would be caught by zombies. Ivan knocked on the glass, making her jump in fright.

He reacted with an impassive, unamused expression. He decided to unlock the door himself. He had merely wanted to be polite earlier.

"Hey ma'am, the zombie break is over. They were successfully vanquished." The passenger backed away to the other end of the seat, wary of him. Ivan had to spend some time, even doing some 'stripping' (removing parts of his clothes) and waiting, to convince the lady that he was safe to be interacted with.

Eventually, the lady was convinced, and Ivan had to drive her to her residence since the sudden dungeon break had completely ruined the plans she had made for the day. After dropping off the lady, Ivan headed home to rest. He was thankful that he regularly stocked up on food; otherwise, he would have gone hungry for the day.

The next day, at Brainboss_7's opulent glasshouse mansion on the Eastern outskirts of Section 2.5, Eliot, the mafia scion, was up as early as 6:30 a.m. He paced around the living room, a palpable concern eating at him. Brainboss entered the room and headed directly to the bar at a corner of the room. Eliot watched the awakened Transcendent pass him, irked by his nonchalance. He wanted to scold the man for his blatant lack of manners, but he remembered that he was a visitor and was under the man's mercy.

This experience in Brainboss_7's house was entirely new to Eliot. In his father's house, he had servants as old as Brainboss_7, and they would greet him whenever they saw him for the first time in any given day. However, he was arrogant and didn't return the courtesy, treating it as a normal thing to which he was entitled.

Brainboss_7 took a glass and an open wine bottle from the bar. He poured himself a drink and returned the bottle to its place. Then he emptied the contents of the glass into his mouth in one swift gulp.

"You have healthy manners. You get up early. That's good." Brainboss held the glass and headed towards the kitchen.

"When do I get to meet my teammates?"

"Unfailingly, next week. Tuesday feels like the probable day for meeting with them. I advise that you work on how you speak; they may be sensitive and react in ways that you won't like."

Eliot frowned. He discerned the potential status of his teammates. "Please don't tell me I'm going to work with peasants."

"Peasants make up most of the population in this region. It can't be helped."

Eliot threw a childish tantrum, visibly displeased with the teammates he was going to work with. Brainboss ignored the spoilt brat, entering the kitchen to wash the cup and grab some slices of bread from the fridge. He returned to the sitting room and found Eliot still upset.

"Sit the fuck down or I'm going to whip you like a slave," Brainboss_7 sternly threatened, his voice laced with an undeniable authority.

Eliot calmed down instantly and sat quietly on the sofa in the room. Successful in his intimidation, Brainboss climbed the stairs, heading for his bedroom on the top floor.