Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player



Without exchanging a word, Kaizen nodded to Xisrith, thanking her for helping them, and together they began to organize the queue and the service.

When the last customer had finally been served and the crowd had dissipated, Kaizen closed up store and leaned back against the counter, exhausted but with a smile of accomplishment on his face. Alina and Xisrith joined him, and the three shared a moment of silence before Xisrith broke the ice.

"You know, Kaizen, I think you've just become the most famous player in the game, inside and out," said Xisrith.

Kaizen laughed. "I hope that doesn't happen, I don't want to retire from another game under the age of 25."

"I have to confess, Kaizen, you're younger than I thought you'd be. I thought you were the kind of 36-year-old man who still lived in his parents' basement or something, which would explain why you're so good at this game in such a short time."

Kaizen smiled and approached a shelf full of shiny helmets to organize them. "Well, you know what they say, never judge a player by their level."

Xisrith laughed softly and shook his head. "You definitely break a few stereotypes."

As she began to arrange the swords on the chest in a trunk, Kaizen looked at her and said:

"I think that's one of the best parts of playing this game. You can be whoever you want, and people don't know anything about your real life. At least, that was good for me, who didn't want any trouble, but I think it's time to take new flights."

Xisrith looked at him, leaning on the counter. "That's true... All this can be a double-edged sword, can't it? Sometimes it's good to have a bit of anonymity, but other times..."

Kaizen nodded, understanding what she meant. "Yes, sometimes it can be tricky, but it's a good thing we didn't have to deal with any problem clients today."

Before Xisrith could reply, there was a knock on the store door. She glanced at the door, which had a blurry privacy glass, and saw a tall silhouette.

"Oh, a customer... I'll tell him you've closed for the day." She said.

"All right, thanks for that, Xisrith." Kaizen lifted the chest full of swords with both arms and carried it to the back.

As she opened the door, she came face to face with a tall, imposing man. His blue hair shone in the dim streetlight, and his black wings were carefully tucked behind his back, but still as large and majestic as those of an angel. What was most striking, however, were her yellow eyes, which seemed to catch the moonlight and stared at it as if it were an insect.

The man looked at Xisrith with a serious expression, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. He was dressed elegantly, in dark clothes with belts that contrasted with his hair. It was obvious that he wasn't an ordinary customer, but a gamer, as she couldn't see a nickname above his head and only NPCs with hoods could hide their names.

"Good evening, sir." Xisrith said cautiously. "Sorry, but we've already closed up store for today. If you're looking for anything, we can see you tomorrow."

The man smiled slightly, revealing sharp white teeth. "Ah, I'm not interested in buying anything, my dear. In fact, I'm looking for someone, and I've heard rumors that Kaizen works here. You know who that is, don't you?"

Xisrith looked at him in surprise. "You're looking for Kaizen? Why?"

The man approached, filling the entrance to the store with his imposing presence. "Let's just say I have some business to propose to him."

At that moment, Kaizen appeared from the back of the store, his swords carefully put away. Seeing the man not leaving, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What's going on in there, Xisrith?" Kaizen asked, his voice echoing all the way to the entrance.

Xisrith cast a nervous glance at the mysterious man before turning to Kaizen. "This man is looking for you, Kaizen. He says he has some business that might interest you."

Just then, the man spotted Kaizen too and pushed Xisrith slightly aside. To enter the store, he had to bend down a little, because he was over two and a half meters tall.

When Kaizen realized how tall the man was and the wings he had, he immediately knew that he wasn't a human, and since there are no playable species in Midgard that are winged, he took the risk of assuming that this player was an Evolved. So he approached the counter, placed the chest on it and asked:

"Who are you, and what do you want from me?"

The tall, imposing man looked straight into Kaizen's eyes with his piercing gaze and smiled again, revealing sharp teeth that glinted in the dim light of the store. "I'm Marklen Shattermast." he said in a deep voice. "And I'm here to see if you're all that they say."

Kaizen felt a shiver run down his spine, but he remained calm. He had heard of Marklen Shattermast, one of the most famous Rise Online players because of his personality and because he had many fan clubs. What's more, he remembered seeing an interview with Marklen months ago at the meeting of the biggest guilds in Europe.

"Marklen Shattermast," Kaizen repeated the name, but with a certain tone of irony. "It's an honor to meet you. What exactly have you heard about me?"

Marklen tilted his head subtly, and his black wings moved slightly as if they were eager to extend fully. "I've heard of your abilities, my dear. And I'm someone who believes in seeing is believing, so I've come here to propose."

Before Marklen could finish speaking, Kaizen crossed his arms, looked into Marklen's eyes with a smile at the corner of his mouth and said:

"Don't tell me that an unevolved blacksmith like me has bruised your ego so much that you put your Evolved affairs aside to pay me a visit? I wonder what your fans would think of that..."