[Plate Apocalypse: A Friend Overseas] (Chapter 3 Part 1)
[January 13, 3031 9:46 PM]
Hesychia triggered a minor screening using a food she’s supposed to dispose of.
That’s ridiculous, minor screenings that randomly occur, and what more, can be triggered by anything.
Great, very fun.
Unlike in the game itself, [Minor Screenings]are quests made to level up your Era Rank.
It does give small to big rewards, XP, and other things needed to level up.
These are permanent quests encountered by most players.
This is activated through NPC interaction, quest activation, and etc.
But, if in real life, these are not quests but more like unsolicited battles.
Humans would have a hard time narrowing down the list or more specifically and brutally, no one would be able to escape the surprise of suddenly entering a minor screening.
No matter if you’re injured or not, once triggered, there’s no turning back.
That’s entirely cruel.
When even showering, a soap will make you play another round of screening—one should just save their energy to survive the game instead.
Hesychia looked at the other two people in front of her.
They formed a small triangle, one meter away from each other.
One was a male and one was a female.
The female has a youthful look, a face you would usually see from someone who is born from East Panacea.
Although she looked young, Hesychia deduced that she’s probably older by one to two years.
Artemis has told her that people from the east are well versed in technology of any kind and rarely deviate from it.
The Eastern Panacean woman’s right hand was holding a soap as the other hand was (assuming) about to open the faucet.
The woman looked at them with bewilderment before throwing the soap aside.
Fortunately, she was only washing her hands, not showering naked.
Glancing at the tall male at the other corner of the triangle, she noticed he was holding a torque gun and a small metal sheet.
Unlike the person who had thrown the soap, this man slowly lowered his equipment.
If Hesychia was not mistaken, his impressive height was typical of people from Imar Bari.
She had heard that his homeland featured towering skyscrapers intertwined with colossal trees, seamlessly blending technology and nature.
The people of Imar Bari were renowned for their towering stature—a genetic trait influenced by generations of living in the slightly higher gravity of Planet Solstice.
This time, these two people stared at Hesychia’s injured arm.
There was a flash of worry but soon disappeared when an announcement went up, “Three Players has triggered a minor screening at the same time.
The game is being set to multiplayer, please wait for five minutes.”
Hesychia wasn’t even able to recover from her injury, and found herself inside a dangerous screening once again.
Who has the most rotten luck and why is it her?
Looking at the side, the adult man seemed to be leisurely fixing something.
The other woman had some injuries on her arms, some part of her cloth was slit into a clean manner.
Deducing from the wound, a sharp metal tried to sever her arm.
Maybe because of the lack of first aid, she resorted to washing the wounds clean for it to not get infected.
The three of them were inside a room, there were no decorations but purely white walls.
Hesychia tried to walk away but soon realized that her feet were stuck on the floor.
She would definitely not survive this round if it’s another fight.
Before her thoughts could fly elsewhere, the male gave a polite smile.
“I’m assuming that I’m older than both of you, let’s use the given time to get to know each other.” Hesychia didn’t have any plan to go first either way, if she sensed the others were lying she would not hesitate to do the same.
The taller male gave a short introduction, “You can call me Erza, I’m an NVH engineer.
Looking at the both of you… students?”
Hesychia’s eyes widened, her head stiffly assessing the other person.
The man also slightly looked at her, smiling.
After regaining her cool, her expression soon turned back to normal as if it didn’t change.
‘Nevermind, it’s probably a coincidence.
We’re not sure what his real name is.’
In the gaming world, Hesychia had a friend named Erza or rather, that was his in-game name.
At first they only spoke inside the game, but eventually they connected through one of their socials.
To her surprise, he used his real name there, something she had rarely seen.
The customs of the digital world were complicated and dangerous, after all.
Aside from knowing he was male, lived in another country on another planet, and had graduated from college nine years ago, Hesychia knew almost nothing about him.
She had never seen his face, nor did she know his exact age, though she assumed he was much older.
Erza, however, never pressed her for personal details.
He kept their conversations comfortable and respectful, asking nothing unnecessary.
Most of the time, their talks revolved only around the game.
Because of that, Hesychia considered him one of the most decent people she had met in a long time.
Erza didn’t know her real name.
If she used her username, would he react?
And if the Erza standing before her now was the same one she knew online… then perhaps her luck had suddenly improved.
Or maybe she was just going crazy.
Well, in any case, she won’t be using her real name either.
Hesychia went second, “Call me Silas, I took accounting.”
The man named Erza smoothly acknowledged with a nod, “I didn’t expect for you to cooperate.”
Hesychia commented, “Sir, do not be prejudiced.”
The man gave a chuckle before turning to the other, signing that it’s her turn for introduction.
The other woman who has a neutral expression gave a small nod, “My name’s Icx, my program is in the medical field.”
Medical Field?
Most of the time, the people who’re usually interested in that are the people of the North.
There are really rare circumstances where people deviate from their born talents, the same as Hesychia who did not once cross the field of medicine.
In the end, other than their programs and work everyone chose to not use their real names.
They didn’t pester either, and tried to act natural despite the awkward atmosphere.
Their introductions were not too formal but it was too short to be viewed as friendly.
Outside, the sky was dark and silent yet inside the white room, a loud sound of trumpets entered their ears as golden powder exploded everywhere.
Hesychia tried to grab her mask but then realized she didn’t have it anymore.
As a substitute, she covered her nose and mouth using the collar of her shirt.
The surroundings changed little by little.
“Greetings players!
Thank you for being patient and behaving, the Minor Screening is now ready!”
Hesychia wanted to point out that they weren’t able to get out of their positions in the first place that’s why they are still in the same tile, however her thoughts were masked by the mechanical voice announcing.
“Minor Screening: Questions and Riddles has been triggered!
In this screening, each player is tasked to enter the Golden Maze of Solomon.” Gigantic walls of gold enclosed their paths as echoes of tall walls hitting the ceiling entered their ears.
Soon, the completely blank room turned into a circular labyrinth.
The triangular position soon disappeared as the other two stood beside her.
Hesychia, “???”
The mechanical voice didn’t let her assess anything as it fired a long announcement:
“Have thee ever heard, oh stranger, of the labyrinth that Solomon conceived within his mind and erected with stones in circular form?
It hath been spoken that Solomon, though reckoned among the kings of modest wealth, didst possess a treasury of alchemical gold.
Behold this diagram portraying its intricate design, with thin lines drawn in a manner of reason.
Beholding its myriad circuits, winding from within to without, its spherical paths entwine and return upon themselves, teaching thee the cyclical nature of life, revealing the devious turns that abruptly bend its ways.
Through its spherical, circular configurations, it deftly ensnares its travelers in complexity, much like the subtle coils of a pernicious serpent, leading them along paths both evident and concealed.
Set at an oblique angle, its door is elusive and hard to reach.
The more one hastens from without, seeking to leap over its threshold, the labyrinth ensnares them within its depths, enticing them with the promise of escape.
It toys with their hopes as they wander its corridors, akin to a fleeting dream filled with vain illusions, until the passage of time reveals the folly of their pursuit.
Alas, in the shadow of death, all is obscured, leaving them stranded without reaching the exit.
What fascination, then, draws mortals to this childish playground of deception?”
“I didn’t understand anything…” Said Icx with a solemn face.
Erza kindly said, “Listen first, it’s not finished.”