Last Shelter Online

“Are you sure this is a safe place?” One of the two black-robed men who had just left the forest a moment ago asked his partner in a doubtful tone.

He looked tense while examining the faces of the tavern guests one by one, as if he were looking for someone. Or… avoiding someone?

“I come here almost every day. You can mark my words.”

The two of them slipped to the second floor through the stairs in the corner, which looked very dark. It was hidden and made others think the stairs were no longer in use.

…

“Wow! The tavern is very lively too!” Jacob couldn’t stop expressing his admiration after entering the tavern with Hiro.

The tavern was much more spacious than Jack’s tavern. Even the number of tables and chairs was plentiful. In a room that almost reeks of alcohol and cigarette smoke, there were three distinct areas that seemed to have been set up from the start.

At the corner of the room, left and right, there were chairs hidden behind wooden partitions, so those who sat next to each other couldn’t even peek. In the centre, there was a wooden table and chairs that looked the same as the ones in NPC Jack’s Tavern. Meanwhile, there was one area on the far left that had a dimmer light. There were only a few chairs without a table, and no one occupied it.

There were two stairs in the room. It headed to the second floor. One staircase was on the right side. This staircase was just an ordinary stone stairs without a trellis. The light from the top floor also illuminated the steps, making it look like the main staircase.

Meanwhile, the other staircase was the one Hiro suspected because he saw two black-robed people, none other than the terrorist player killers who claimed to be diehard fans of his brother.

“I’ve found a seat for you, please come here,” the bunny girls surprised Hiro. Then, they walked towards an empty seat on the first floor.

“Whiskey, do you have any?” Jacob asked when the bunny girls, who looked like identical twins, pulled out a note from their cleavage.

“Of course, sir. Moonlight Tavern is the number one tavern recognized by the king of the Eternity Kingdom. We have it all.” Obviously, the bunny girls made Hiro get even more suspicious.

‘A tavern that has everything? Doesn’t that mean that this place is very promising to be used as a secret base to get information from various parties?’

Hiro let Jacob order for him. He was more interested in observing the faces of the people in the room.

Even though it was in the city of the beast’s bloodline, it seemed the players who visited the tavern weren’t dominated by any bloodlines. They were completely mixed together; beasts, elves, demons, dwarves, and even dragons. It was as if the place was really that famous. That supported what the NPC bunny girls said.

Hiro didn’t recognize anyone in the tavern. Some had familiar faces. It seemed they were the people he played with in the game The Haunted Maze. However, because there was so little light in the maze, he wasn’t sure he had seen the same person.

“We will prepare your order. Please wait.”

Hiro just realized that there are many bunny girls, with a very identical appearance, who had wandered around the room. They were like clones who spoke the same way, with the same voice. They had a duty to find customers outside as well as serve customers inside.

“Don’t get drunk, Jacob,” Hiro muttered, warning his friend who had been greedy for ordering a lot of high alcohol.

“Don’t underestimate me, Bro.” Jacob replied, feeling belittled.

Ding!

[Noah has tried to contact you]

Finally, someone contacted him. Hiro didn’t know what he was going to hear from the mage, but clearly, he had to walk towards a place that was quiet so he could talk to him freely.

“I’ll be back.”

Hiro walked past the people. His goal was on the left side of the room. The place where the chairs without tables were. It was the place where the dimly lit staircase was. Hiro leaned on the wall before receiving a call from Noah.

“Moshi moshi.”

“Huh?” Noah sounded surprised at Hiro’s opening sentence.

Hiro patted his forehead, feeling unfocused. How could he speak Japanese at a time like this?

“What’s up?” Hiro repeated his sentence again.

“Where are you?”

A relieved smile spread across Hiro’s face.

Noah decided to join him in his party for the clearance of the dungeon that was currently being heavily guarded by the Immortal Knights.

Hiro told him to go to Moonspire City and came to Moonlight Tavern to gather there with him and Jacob.

“I’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

Beep!

The call was cut off. Noah didn’t give Hiro the chance to say his last sentence.

Now, he just had to wait for Cara’s confirmation. When Hiro checked his friendlist, MyPhantom was still not online. No wonder there was no news from the girl. Hiro took a deep breath. This time, he was resigned to what would happen at the last minute before his plan.

“Don’t be ridiculous!!!” A very loud voice managed to make the ceiling above Hiro’s head shake.

Even though no one seemed to notice the voice apart from him, Hiro instantly froze on the spot. He had the feeling he had heard that voice before.

But who?

Out of curiosity and unwilling to remain silent, especially after knowing that the two black-robed had entered the room on the second floor through the stairs in front of him, Hiro decided to overhear. If it was possible, he wanted to peek.

With careful movements, Hiro moved like a thief, climbing the stairs one by one. The staircase was spiral shaped. It was very dark, and the stairs were made of rusted iron.

One single mistake, Hiro could create a sound that would make them realize his presence.

After reaching the last step, there was one wooden door that was tightly closed on that floor. And unfortunately, there was no gap in the surface of the door that could be used to peek inside.

“You want to cooperate with the Exalted? Don’t be silly!”

“Not my idea. It’s all his plan.”

“And you, the only person ‘you-know-who’ can rely on.”

“He even remembers your name, Dimitri. You have to be proud of your duty.”