Chapter 95: Chapter95-Aeolus
"Nonsense! Are you saying I slept for a whole thirty-six hours? Impossible! You didn't see the scene at that moment. I was like a god! There's no way I would have passed out from overexertion for that long!
Absolutely not!"
Exiled Immortal waved his hand dismissively and, after a moment of silence, looked back at Qing, puzzled, "Are you sure I slept that long?"
"I think I'm sure, because it's already the evening of the second day. If you don't have anything else to do, I'm going to the Adventurers Guild for a drink. Want to join?"
"Hey, Qing, what's the point of drinking? Where were we in our conversation?"
"Please, Exiled Immortal, you've been describing the scene to me for over four hours. I swear I can visualize it perfectly in my head. Just give me a break, will you?"
Qing scratched his head in frustration and let out a long sigh.
If he had known Exiled Immortal would be this verbose, he never would have asked about the incident.
For four whole hours, Qing had just been listening to Exiled Immortal embellish his actions with various grandiose phrases, portraying himself as a divine hero descending from the heavens.
The problem was, that storm had only lasted less than half an hour.
No matter how much he exaggerated, he couldn't possibly talk about it for that long.
"By the way, Exiled Immortal, old Mac came by today."
"Old Mac, oh right, I almost forgot. He owes me twenty swords. I need to go collect them."
"I don't think that's necessary. He came today precisely for that reason."
Saying this, Qing retrieved thirty swords from his player inventory and laid them out on the bed one by one.
"Thirty [Epic] quality weapons. Congratulations, you're now a rich man."
"Wow... I thought it was just a joke. I didn't expect he'd actually over-deliver."
Looking at the gleaming swords, Exiled Immortal took a deep breath.
To him, only two things could bring excitement: combat and swords.
"This is like... heaven? Well, maybe not, but it's really nice! Old Mac's craftsmanship didn't disappoint. Qing, if you see old Mac at the Adventurers Guild, give him my thanks."
"I will, if I see him. Oh, and one more thing..."
Qing turned around and patted Exiled Immortal on the shoulder, speaking in a serious tone, "John said to find him when you wake up. He has something to ask you."
"Got it, I'll go find him later."
Exiled Immortal was clearly entranced by the allure of the thirty swords, and Qing wasn't sure if he had even registered his words.
But for now, Qing didn't care.
He had been in this room, looking after Exiled Immortal for thirty-six hours, and he was bored to the point of madness.
He needed something to take his mind off things.
With that thought, Qing pushed open the door, only to run into John coming back.
"John, you're back so early today?"
"Yeah, the Adventurers Guild is closed, and there's nowhere else to go, so I came back. Where are Helena and the others?"
"What? The Adventurers Guild is closed? Damn! Where am I supposed to get a drink now? Oh right, there's the tavern. Huh?
You asked about Helena and the others? They should be in their rooms, I guess. I'm not really sure. Oh, by the way, Exiled Immortal woke up. He's playing with the 'toys' old Mac sent him."
"He woke up so soon? I thought it would take three to five days."
"Three to five days? Give me a break, will you? Thirty-six hours was already more than enough for me. You guys didn't have to look after him. Seriously, John, I was bored to death!"
Qing sighed deeply and plopped down on the stairs.
"In the Deep Forest, at least I could have a good fight, battling monsters with all my might. But now? I've practically become a babysitter, either looking after that Elven Queen or this rascal Exiled Immortal."
"When can we have a proper fight again? My bones are starting to rust! I'm a man who inherited the War God's talent! If I can't fight, what's the point?"
"Trust me, brother, it won't be long now. When the time comes, even if you want to refuse, you probably won't have the chance. So... just be patient a little longer."
John sighed, patted Qing on the shoulder, and then headed back to his room.
In fact, John hadn't expected the large event to take so long to start.
If he remembered correctly, Talcavano had once hosted a major event called Dragon Hunt.
In his previous life, during this event, Helena's power had skyrocketed.
As a Dragon Hunter, she was like a bamboo shoot taking root and absorbing nutrients from the soil, until the arrival of a spring rain caused her to grow rapidly.
"But why is it taking so long?"
It's worth noting that nearly 400,000 players had now arrived in Talcavano.
Compared to Talcavano, which is a remote city not essential to the linear game progression, most people chose to go directly to Spartonia.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, John's door was suddenly knocked on.
He looked over to see Exiled Immortal pushing the door open a crack, poking his head through, and asking, "John, did you need me?"
"Come in and sit down. I have a few questions about what happened at the mine a few days ago."
John gestured for Exiled Immortal to take a seat.
"Is there... is there a problem?"
"Of course there is. As far as I know, your previous talent was SS-grade [Windwhisper], correct?"
"That's right, I've had that talent for the past few months."
"Then that's strange. Do talents evolve during the game? I've never heard of that. Don't you and Qing find it odd?"
"Strange? Talents... should be capable of growth, right?"
"Of course not! Talents are called talents because they can't be easily changed. Qing's resurrection can be understood, but you? Evolving all of a sudden? Do you think that's normal?"
Hearing this, Exiled Immortal frowned, sensing something was off.
"Now that you mention it, John, I have been feeling a bit strange recently."
"Be more specific."
"I feel like I've gotten a lot stronger. Haven't you noticed? I've grown taller. I'm now as tall as you. I thought you all had noticed."
"Impossible! Really? Stand up, let me see."
John stood up, and upon seeing Exiled Immortal's eyes level with his own, his eyes widened in shock.
"Damn... you really have. But why? Are you of age?"
"Another year to go."
Exiled Immortal sat back down, then started unbuttoning his shirt. Seeing this, John quickly stopped him, puzzled.
"Exiled Immortal, what are you doing?"
"What do you think? Taking off my clothes. Isn't it obvious?"
"Yeah, it's obvious, but why are you suddenly stripping?"
"To show you my changes. Everyone knows I'm not on the Attack route; Agility is my preference. But look."
Exiled Immortal took off his jacket, revealing a muscular chest, with bulging muscles that even made John feel inferior.
In just thirty-six hours, after one sleep, Exiled Immortal had evidently transformed from a kid into a muscular man. John was completely clueless about this.
"Have you seen any strange people lately? Or had any strange dreams, perhaps about [Gods]?"
"Funny you mention that! During my sleep... well, I didn't realize I was unconscious. I thought I was still awake because it felt so real. Do you understand, John?"
"Get to the point."
"Alright, alright... the point is, I dreamt I became Aeolus! I lived on Mount Olympus, becoming the god who controls the winds and storms!
With just a wave of my hand, I could unleash storms across the land! Can you imagine that feeling, John? I absolutely loved it! It's just a pity that it was only a dream, leaving me with nothing but empty joy. It's truly disappointing."