Sitting on the edge of his bed, Kevin was having a meltdown. It had been an hour since one of his legs kept on shaking up and down. His whole face was tensing with the veins on his neck popping out. There was a saying back in the days, know your enemy in order to win the war, but what if the enemy was the best in the world in what he does?

 

“Shit, shit, shit…” the mumbling curse of a man after realizing who he was up against.

 

GingerStar, he's a legend in e-sports. It’s not possible, but me being here made it seems likely to happen. Three years back, a piece of news that once shook the whole world, back in the year 2020 when every shit went down. The vanishing happened…

 

The Vanishing, an event that caught the world off guard. Renowned athletes all over the world disappeared at an alarming rate. From famous football players to Olympic gold medalists, every known champion disappeared, turned into fliers for missing people.

 

Every police department was flooded with missing case reports about these star athletes. Yet, none of them solved even after months had passed. But then came a video. A video of a locker room leaked to the internet. 

 

The basketball players of LA Rivers were seen resting after their game. They were goofing around while some chugged down some electrolytes, then it happened. In a blink of an eye, all thirteen of them vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but an empty locker room.

 

The video went viral, yet people hardly believed it. Some said it was a hoax, an edited video, and so on. But it seemed the truth was laid to the eyes, yet no one wanted to believe it.

 

It's far-fetched, but I hope those heroes aren’t those superstar athletes that went missing. But if they are…

 

Kevin ground his teeth with a scowl. Just imagining him fighting against those top tier athletes was something not possible. They were men and women forged by the fire of hard work and the will for victory. They were the top one percent of human physique with peak performance and compared to Kevin, it was a difference between day and night.

 

Can I do this?

 

Hesitation crept into his heart. Knowing the enemy made him questioned himself. 

 

I’m only a single man, can I alone go against them? I don't even know how many are there? The missing case alone was documented well over a thousand or more.

 

He knew every tip, tricks, shortcut, and hidden dungeons, but he was all alone, just a single man. He had the confidence of going against the powerful monsters lurking in this world, but up against heroes who came from earth was a different matter. Who knows what advantages these heroes had in comparison to him? Too many questions that made him anxious about the unforeseen future.

 

Kevin was grabbing his hair with both of his hands, bending his body with his head touching his knees. 

 

“Fuck!” he shouted. He sprang up on his feet. His loud voice echoed within the chamber of his room. He stared at the polish brick floor while his mind shifting from being blank to thinking about his odds. The silence of the room was filled with the loud beating of his heart.

 

Thirty minutes passed, and the anxiety died down. He calmed himself down and sat at the edge of his bed. 

 

“I can do this,” said Kevin. “I can do this,” he tried to convince himself as in this world, he could only rely on himself.

 

Then a knock on the door.

 

Tok, tok. 

 

He turned to his side and heard a voice behind the well-carved door. 

 

“Mister,” she called. “It is me, Yaereene.”

 

Kevin stared at the door with confusion. His butt left the edge of the bed as he walked to the door. He opened and saw the short alva standing in front of him, her eyes glanced to the side as she barely made contact with his.

 

“May I enter your chamber?” said Yaereene.

 

“Sure, sure, sure. Why not,” he turned and invited her in.

 

Yaereene shuffled her feet on the floor while looking around in the room. Her dazzling eyes blinked a few times, taking in the scene of this room. She had never gone inside a male’s room before, more so a human male.

 

“I guess, make yourself at home,” said Kevin.

 

“Master asked me to come. She said you were in need of help,” said Yaereene. 

 

Kevin’s eyes narrowed down as he was becoming more confused. He did not remember asking for any more help from Yaereene, and even the reward offered by Lautiria was left unanswered. He left the dining hall right after hearing about GingerStar.

 

“I didn’t ask for any help,” said Kevin.

 

“Well, Master said that you looked distraught when leaving the dining hall. So she sent me,” said Yaereene with both of her hands behind her back.

 

That’s rather kind of her. I didn’t think they would be others like the Queen. I guess I shouldn’t judge them before I meet and get to know them.

 

Unlike his thoughts, Lautiria still hated the human and Kevin no less. She just felt responsible for what she said since the Queen did remind her and the rest of the people to not mention any detail about the heroes.

 

While Kevin was deep in his thoughts, he did not notice Yaereene placing her hands besides both of his temples.

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Kevin retreated a few steps.

 

“It’s a Saint Art, Serene Tempo. It calms the mind, and boost your concentration level,” said Yaereene.

 

A healer-based skill, the name is similar except for its labeling. In the game, it’s used for curing the berserk status along with decreasing the cast time for mage-like classes. I guess it’s worth the shot.

 

Kevin came forward as his action was a silent agreement. Circle rings of bright chiffon yellow emerged and revolved around Yaereene’s forearms. She closed her eyes, and so did Kevin. An invisible calming waves emitted from her palms overlapping over his head.

 

The rattling mind of Kevin eased up as the art was showing results. His breath slowed down along with his heartbeat. Soon, he reached a tranquil state with his mind clear from any stress. His eyes opened, showing nothing but clarity.

 

“Thanks,” he said.

 

“I am only following my master’s instruction,” she said. Yaereene looked away as her cheeks turned slightly flush.

 

“I have completed the task, and now I shall take my leave,” said Yaereene. She walked to the door and left. Not before leaving a trail of freesia drifting in the air.

 

“Freesia,” he said. He remembered a certain person with a smile as beautiful as the sun. A memory that he had long buried. A faint smile hung on his face as he remembered her words.

 

“You will always find a way,” he said. His eyes glistened as his head tipped down. It had been a long time since he muttered those words.

 

I guess this is a perfect time to remember those words.

 

Before something drop from his eyes, he leaned his head back with his eyes forward at the ceiling. Shedding manly tears would not do any good right now.

 

I need a better explanation from the Queen.

 

He wandered around the dimly lighted hallway, making his way to the Queen’s bedchamber. The security was pretty lax for a castle housing royalty. They weren’t any sign of guards guarding the castle interior as if the castle was empty. Kevin had his doubt but knowing the small numbers mentioned by Queen Qirien, it made sense to him.

 

After a lonely walk, he stood in front of an oversized door, which twice the size of his bedroom door. The dull metal showed the passing of time, yet seeing it for himself, made him realized the big ambition of the castle builder.

 

Is this gold? Damn, the previous owner must be a big show-off.

 

He knocked on the metal door as the sound echoed from both sides. 

 

“Enter,” an elegant voice trembled his eardrums as if she stood right beside him.

 

He pushed the door while gulping down a mouthful of saliva. This action of his was beyond being rude. If any of the elders knows about this, he would definitely be hounded by them to the point of being threatened about death. In a way, his action was blasphemous.

 

“Over here,” her voice drew him closer to the balcony.

 

His small steps showed his nervous heart, he didn’t even dare to look around the bedchamber of a regal queen. He might have the opportunity to see a forbidden view of royal lingerie laying around but those thoughts flew away as his mind was occupied by the future conversation with the Queen. He just hoped he didn’t piss off the latter for being here.

 

He passed by the see-through curtains as he stopped and saw the back view of a Queen. He stood there, staring in a daze as this view alone was breathtaking. 

 

She stood there dressed in a plain white chemise with her back opened, showing her fair pristine skin. He should have glanced away, but it was too dazzling for his poor eyes.

 

Queen Qirien slightly turned her head to the back, enough for a slight glance at Kevin.

 

“What brings you here Kevin?” she asked, “a bit too late for a visit, do you not think so?” 

 

She was not mad nor uncomfortable. She was calmed with a slight curve of her lips, he didn’t miss the subtle smile, and at least he felt relieved a bit.

 

“I apologize for barging in like this, but I’m seeking for an answer,” said Kevin. His hesitation went away as his clear eyes showed he was resolute.

 

“Come,” the queen gestured with a slight movement of her hand, inviting him to stand beside him.

 

Kevin didn’t shy away and took his place beside Queen Qirien. Then he saw it. A view unlike from the window of his bedroom. A front view of the whole city of Edelstein along with the hanging moss on the ceiling. It was at the right angle, perfect for a camera shot.

 

“Amazing,” said Kevin.

 

“Indeed it is,” she replied as she faced the view once more. “The ancient zwerg that once inhabited this city was a lineage that pursued the aesthetic nature of the world. You can see their art all around the city. In their bricks, in their pavement, and in their greatest innovation, the illuminating moss.”

 

Both pairs of eyes looked at the dim moss. The thought of it as an innovative creation of the zwerg blew Kevin’s mind. His original impression of them being master blacksmith ran hard over his perception of them. Blacksmiths, who only cared about metals and minerals, and they were known not to cherish much about the flora. Yet the illuminating moss broke that stereotype of his. At least now, he knew that some zwerg had a different taste from one another.

 

“So what brings you to the Queen’s chamber? A bold move, if I must say,” said Queen Qirien.

 

Words could carry different meanings, depending on the nuance and tone of the speaker. But right now, Kevin was safely assuming that she only sought for a reason and nothing else. 

 

“I’ve heard about a hero named GingerStar,” said Kevin. 

 

That sentence along brought a monumental change in the queen.

 

“I see,” she said. 

 

Kevin saw the cold glare coming from her eyes, along with her cold tone. It was enough to tell him that something went wrong.

 

“So what do you seek Kevin Wang?” she asked as the coldness from before went away. She retained her previous state as if the wrong went away.

 

“I want to know who are my opponents and how many are there?” he asked as he didn’t cower from that brief coldness.

 

“It seems my plan and precaution went into shambles,” said Queen Qirien. She went on to sighed with a slight shaking of her head.

 

Kevin saw a clear disappointment on her face. He questioned why the Queen would go such length to keep him away from such information, and the Queen as if reading his mind, answered to his unspoken question.

 

“Bear in mind Kevin, I did not tell you not without a reason,” said Queen Qirien. “Before I divulge the knowledge about our enemies, I must tell you why I kept it a secret.”

 

His knitted brows along with the hastening pace of his heartbeat waited for the answer from Queen Qirien’s lips. He even felt his palms becoming sweatier by the second.

 

“You have to know Kevin. You are not the first,” said Queen Qirien.

 

“What?” he replied. Instantaneously, as if it was reflex.

 

“As I said, you are not the first to be transmigrated. Kevin, you are our second savior.” 

 

To her words, Kevin was left with a gaping jaw.