Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

"Did I watch the battle between Taznaar and Kaizen? No, I didn't watch anything about it. In fact, I don't like watching battles of players of such a lower level compared to mine, it's not fun." Marklen answered truthfully and with clenched fists. That last question from Daniel was not in the script. "That would be like asking a Premier League soccer player if he watched a second division Australian league match, it makes no sense at all."

"Um, I suppose you are in parts correct, but considering how recent the Rise Online market is, don't you believe that there are non-evolved people, such as Kaizen and Taznaar, who can compete against you current Evolved people in the future?" Daniel took advantage of Marklen's response and the public setting to lash out at him with sordid questions.

Marklen didn't want to lose his poise in front of so many cameras and people, so he didn't even allow himself a sigh to answer that question.

"No. It's not news that I believe all of the most talented players in Rise Online have become Evolved by that point. There was time required for that. Plus I think that, specifically, the American media places a lot of value on such happenings among the un-evolved out of self-interest."

"The American media? That's a very serious accusation, Marklen."

"No, that is not an accusation, it is a fact. If I'm not mistaken, Taznaar is American and since the beginning of the month they haven't stopped talking about him. It's annoying. As we know, there are no American stars in Rise Online yet, which is worrying for them. For now, there's no reason for me to care about it, but it's still annoying." Marklen turned his face, tossing his well-manicured bangs to the left.

"Will you keep up that speech even if I tell you that Taznaar's mysterious opponent, Kaizen, is the likely sole user of the Psych Class, the One Class that emerged last month?" questioned Daniel, moving closer to press the interviewee.

"What? Kaizen is the carrier of the Psych Class? Why do they think that?" Marklen asked, forgetting the cold posture he had maintained until then.

"I don't know if he is, but it is a rumor that appeared on the internet after his battle against Taznaar. Perhaps now you have understood the importance of keeping an eye on those below you? Look who is here! Cephal, come have a word with the public here!"

"PUBLIC? FUCK THE PUBLIC, I'M NOT TALKING TO ANYONE TODAY!" The tall, strong man, who spoke English with a Latin accent, replied as he got out of his sports car. He then tossed the car key to the valet. "AND YOU DARE NOT LET EVEN A SPECK OF DUST TOUCH MY CAR!" He shouted at the valet.

"Ah, Cephal! Just a quick interview, please!" Daniel begged.

"GET OUT, INSETO!"

While interviewer Daniel and his team had already walked away, Marklen continued to stand in the same spot. He was totally taken aback by the last questions asked by Daniel and had not prepared himself to receive questions about un-evolved, especially for a subject as mysterious as Kaizen.

'Kaizen... That nickname... Why is it that every time I hear it I think I've heard it somewhere before? Where and when was that?'

A vague memory went back and forth in Marklen's head as he looked at Cephal's car pulling away. A memory from long ago, when he was still an inexperienced player, but no matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't.

By coincidence of fate, Klaus was watching television at the time of Marklen's interview for the main channel of Rise Online. Since he was cooking, and the apartment got too lonely in the afternoon, he left the television on.

"Eh? What an arrogant guy. American media...it's all the bullshit I have to listen to from the mouths of these self-righteous movie star people." Klaus grumbled.

Klaus deftly chopped parsley and poured it into a pot of sauce.

"Besides these one-armed players, there are also these gossipy journalists.... I knew it would be a bit obvious that I have the Psych Class when I showed Telekinesis in public, but I also didn't expect them to go public with it as a fact so quickly."

Klaus was not the type to clamor for media attention, but since he knew this would not last for long, he judged it best to keep doing what he wanted to do, without holding back just because he might be found out. Obviously, what was first in his mind was the need to get as much money as possible, and getting strong was the way to do this.

No doubt, after defeating Taznaar Klaus was sure he was very strong, but the interview of the Evolved named Marklen changed his perspective.

"One hundred points of Physical Attributes is the minimum needed to become an Evolved, isn't it? I'm close to that, but if it's the minimum, then that means there are many people on the same level as me or much stronger. Not to mention that there are definitely hundreds or even thousands of players who have reached that level and are looking to evolve stronger than the minimum so as not to have problems in the future, as Marklen pointed out..."

As Klaus talked to himself aloud, the speed with which he chopped the vegetables slowed. It was easy to be distracted from the world when one was thinking so intently about the game.

"Koo-koo!" Someone suddenly imitated a bird watch in Klaus' right ear to make him return from his dive into thought.

"Owwwaaa!" He startled and unintentionally cut a whole potato right down the middle.

Behind him was Emma with a silly grin and she immediately started laughing at the man's reaction. "Hahahaha! What was that reaction? Hahahaha! That doesn't even sound like you for real!"

Klaus was trying to forget how he felt about Emma last night still, so he quickly tried to focus on the preparation of the stew he was cooking. "Don't scare me like that when I'm wielding a knife, you idiot. I could have lost a finger."

"Okay, okay. You're right." Emma raised her hands in surrender and stepped back a little.

For a few seconds, she just stared at him as he cooked, enjoying the way he handled the ingredients and seasonings.

"Sheshh! Why are you staring at me still? Don't you have anything better to do?" Klaus sighed and asked.

"Just watching~. By the way, why were you talking to yourself out loud? Hehe! That's weird."

"It's a tactic." Klaus replied, not bothered by the questioning. "When I have too much stuff on my mind, I end up externalizing some thoughts. It's an old habit I had to learn so I wouldn't have a burnout when I was a kid."

"Now that makes sense. Do you always do that?"

"I don't know, it's pretty much automatic."

"Oh, yeah... I'm remembering Jayaa mentioning that you had a lot of work and a huge family debt, so you moved here..." Emma said, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"Do you need anything?" Klaus asked to change the subject.

Emma came back from her thoughts quickly and shook her head to keep them from coming back, then answered:

"I don't need anything, but I was in my room and I smelled this wonderful smelling stew, so I came downstairs to eat. Is it ready yet?"

"No, and it will be a while yet."

"Can I at least taste it?" She asked and leaned closer to him.

At that moment, Klaus realized how persevering Emma was, so he gave in. He sighed and moved a little away from the stove as he handed her a spoon.

Emma thanked him with a nod, took the spoon from Klaus and dipped it a little into the stew. As she lifted the spoon that was in the pot, she tossed a lock of hair behind her left ear and brought her pink mouth closer to the spoon so as not to let any drops fall off. The expression she showed as she tasted the food was that of someone who felt immense pleasure.

"Ohhhh, that's amazing! You really are a genius in the kitchen!" She shouted, immediately putting the spoon back into the pot and walking away.

Klaus looked at her curiously and, with a sincere smile, said:

"Thank you." He then turned to the stove and began stirring the stew with a wooden spoon.

"When it's ready, let me know so we can eat together, please!" She spoke, left the kitchen and went upstairs to her room again.

Without him even realizing it, Klaus' heart had palpitated intensely once again.

"What was I really thinking? Ah, yes... I almost forgot... There are many strong people on Midgard and the other worlds, so I have to focus on getting much stronger as well. The fact that I can copy skills is certainly a very good advantage, but there will come a time when even that won't be enough, so I'll have to have several cards up my sleeve and I think maybe that can give me a little more of an advantage over the others."

When Kaizen entered Rise Online after lunch, the first thing he did was open his Skill Tree, where the Class Skills he could unlock with Class Points were marked.

Currently, he only had 3 Class Points, because of the success of his last Class Quest, when he freed the Skogsrås, and that also put this new unlockable skill in his Skill Tree, the Skill <Soul Control>, which had a cost of 7 Class Points to unlock.

[Class Skill: Soul Control

A Psyker's responsibility is to control the Supernatural World, so just as he must have the compassion to help spirits get rid of their tormentors, he must also be severe to punish those who refuse to go to the afterlife.

This ability will allow you to absorb the souls of evil spirits and paranormal creatures, and use the souls you obtain to become stronger.

Soul Control is a basic skill of a Psyker.

(You are prohibited from distributing any Class Points on this skill, this skill cannot be evolved).

Do you wish to unlock <Soul Control> for 7 Class Points? YES/NO.

(You do not yet have enough Class Points to unlock this skill].

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

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