Chapter 81: Shepherd [3]
"Wait, so as long as I collect fragments, regardless of what attribute they are, I can use them to upgrade my anomalies?"
I tried to type in the question in the app chat, but I received no answer.
This...
How very useful.
’Maybe it doesn’t know or just doesn’t want to tell me. I guess I need to figure this out by myself.’
I looked towards the app interface one more time and stared at the Nightwalker page. I was curious to see what would happen once it managed to absorb ten fragments of conceptualization.
Would it upgrade in rank?
"Seeing that there’s no other fragment, I take it that it can only upgrade in the conceptualization decree..."
What would happen if I were to give it a different type of fragment?
I was genuinely curious.
Unfortunately, I had no other fragments in hand.
"Maybe it’s good that I don’t have any more. I’m scared I might end up wasting one of the attributes..."
If the Nightwalker wasn’t able to absorb the attribute, then it would just be a waste.
’Then again, I don’t know if the attribute disappears or not.’
Yet again, a lot of questions but no answers.
"Worst case, I’ll just ask Kyle again. I’m sure he might know something."
I tossed all the thoughts away and focused my attention on the crystal in my hand.
"Now, what do I do with this...?"
Tossing it slightly and catching it again, I squeezed it with my hand, but nothing happened. What was I supposed to do with this?
I placed the crystal near my mouth and tried to bite it, but..
"I don’t think it’s possible."
It was too hard.
I scratched the back of my head while staring at the fragment.
"It says that I need ten attributeless fragments in order to go to the Second Order. I guess I should find a way to collect the remaining nine before thinking about anything else."
I wasn’t really worried.
"I guess living inside a Guild has its perks."
I could find all of the information I needed here. There was also Kyle to help me. If I wanted to find a way to gain more fragments faster then the Guild was the perfect place to gain some information about it.
And as such, closing down my laptop, I stood up from my seat.
But... Just as I was about to open the door, I stopped abruptly at the sound of a sudden shout from the other side.
It was quite loud.
—Where the fuck are my chips!?
It sounded very angry, too.
—Who stole my chips??? I’ll fucking kill you if you don’t come forward now!
"....."
I looked at the knob and pulled my hand back before sitting back down on my chair.
"On second thought, the game needs an update."
I squinted my eyes while hunching over.
"Let’s see..."
***
Just before.
Located at the end of the Field Agent Section was the Section Chief’s Office.
Zoey stood before her, the Section Chief as he leaned back on his chair, a pencil pressed at the top of his lips.
"....."
The room was silent.
Neither one spoke as the Section Chief drummed his fingers over the table.
He continued like this until his lips straightened and the pencil fell down on the desk.
Tak.
"So you’re saying that some sort of figure wearing a Jester mask managed to infiltrate the gate, right under the noses of three of the biggest Guilds within the island, and somehow managed to clear the scenario. Not only that, but the difficulty increased, too?"
Zoey smiled wryly.
Putting it that way, it really did sound unbelievable...
However, this really was what had happened.
Put in the same position as the Section Chief, she too wouldn’t believe the situation. There was practically no way for someone to sneak into a gate unless one of the Guilds had planned this in advance.
But... were they really responsible for letting the Jester in?
How would they benefit from his appearance?
As far as she had witnessed, they also appeared surprised and shocked by his appearance.
"Sir... Section Chief. I know it’s not really believable, but I wasn’t the only one there. You can—"
"Oh, no."
The Section Chief cut Zoey off, dismissively waving his hand.
"It’s not that I don’t believe you. I do, in fact."
"Eh...? Really?"
"Yeah."
"Then..."
"The reason why I’m stumped is because I’ve heard of this description before."
"Hm?"
Zoey blinked her eyes, at a sudden loss by the Section Chief’s words. What could he mean by his words?
"It happened not too long ago. I’m sure you’ve heard about the incident before. It has to do with one of your seniors."
"What...?"
Zoey’s brows furrowed. If it was about one of his seniors, then... did that mean that the incident occurred in a higher-ranked gate?
And what gate was it?
"It’s the most recent <A> ranked gate. The one Clara managed to complete."
".....!"
Zoey’s eyes widened in shock all of a sudden.
That was because she was acutely aware of the gate that the Section Chief was talking about.
"You can’t be talking about ’that’ gate, right? That’s..."
"It is exactly that gate."
The Section Chief replied while scratching the stubble on his chin.
"...The departments first <A> ranked Gate."
"W-wha..."
It almost felt as though her breath had been stripped away from her lungs. She couldn’t really believe what she was hearing.
After all, clearing the most recent <A>-ranked anomalous-type gate was a huge accomplishment. It was also one of the key factors that had propelled their Guild’s rank toward the upper limits of the Queen-Grade.
It was also an extremely difficult gate.
Only the top elites were capable of entering such a gate.
And yet, the Jester had appeared there?
"That Jester... He didn’t just infiltrate the Gate, but according to what I know, he was the main reason why the Gate got cleared in the first place. We were unfortunately not able to gain any fragments from it, but the entire squad was able to come out of it alive, which is the most important thing."
"Wait, wait..."
Zoey had to stop the Section Chief.
"Yes?"
"Did you just say that he was the main reason why the Gate got cleared in the first place?"
"Yes, that’s what I said."
"W-what..."
Zoey was once again left at a complete loss, her chest growing heavier. The image of the jester flashed through her mind, making the heaviness in her chest deepen.
She recalled her words to the Jester during their dance, and sweat formed in her palms.
’Did I seriously say something like that? Oh my god...’
Zoey felt like punching her previous self. If the Jester was truly the same and had helped clear an <A> ranked gate, then she really almost lost her life.
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
"Well, don’t worry too much."
Pulling her out of her thoughts was the Section Chief as he picked his ear.
"There’s a chance that the Jester might not just be a single person but an entire group wearing the same mask. We’ll be investigating this matter more carefully. You should rest in the meantime."
Looking at his pinky, the Section Chief dismissed her with her hand.
"I’ll take care of this matter. I’m sure you’re tired. Just relax for now. I’ll call you if something happens."
"...Oh, okay."
Biting her lips, Zoey eventually lowered her head and moved out of the room.
However, even as she got out of the Section Chief’s office, her mind continued to wander over the Jester.
There was something about the Jester...
Something about him just felt familiar to her.
She felt it then, and she still felt it now.
Could he be someone she knew?
But who?
"Ah, whatever."
Massaging her face, Zoey dismissed the thought.
Just thinking about it was giving her a headache.
"I’ll get some rest for now and eat my chips."
Thinking about her chips, Zoey suddenly felt a wave of giddy excitement. Those chips... Ah, those chips. They were special chips. They were something that she usually prepared before going into a gate.
Some sort of good luck charm.
In order not to have anyone stealing them, she tended to hide them.
Of course, everyone was aware that they were her chips, but it was a force of habit she had developed from when she was still weak.
Back then, her seniors didn’t care if they were her chips.
"Hehe."
Zoey giggled as she made her way to the kitchen, opening the all too familiar cupboard and reaching for her hidden spot. A place that only she knew.
But...
"Eh?"
The chips. The tasty, slightly salted, and light chips...
They were gone.
"H-how could this be?"
Zoey’s eyes shook, until...
"Where the fuck are my chips!?"
She exploded, her hands tossing the jars of instant coffee around.
"Who stole my chips??? I’ll fucking kill you if you don’t come forward now!"
All hell broke loose.
For just the briefest of moments, several recruits believed that an anomaly had escaped the containment facility.