Free Web NovelChapter 9: The Jester’s Mask
Gabriel remained motionless for several seconds, reflecting on the old man’s words.
The heat of the smithy still saturated the atmosphere while the metallic tools emitted faint creaks from the temperature.
There are men who surrender themselves so completely to ambition... that they end up buried beneath it.
The phrase lingered inside his mind with uncomfortable clarity. Not because he felt accused, but because something inside him recognized the real danger behind those words.
He still remembered the ruin, the blood, and the hunger with painful clarity. The danger truly existed inside him now.
And even so, Gabriel simply remained silent.
He was not that kind of person. People who grew up like him learned quickly that pretty words rarely changed anything.
So he merely gave the old man a respectful gesture before silently leaving the smithy.
The virtual night slowly covered the Novice Village. Torches began illuminating the stone streets while players and NPCs continued moving between taverns, shops, and plazas.
Gabriel wandered aimlessly for several minutes until he arrived at a plaza widely known for its beauty.
The place had been built around a large pond of crystal-clear water where several limestone sculptures decorated the surroundings.
The soft sound of water and the warm glow of the lanterns created an oddly peaceful atmosphere.
Gabriel eventually sat near the pond, observing the reflection of the lights upon the water. The old man’s words still lingered in his mind.
How was a monster truly born? The answer seemed ridiculously simple. Hunger, ambition, and eventually, power.
People who began by justifying small steps until they ended up completely consumed by the very thing they desired to obtain.
Gabriel could understand it perfectly. Especially now, because hunger also existed within him.
A hunger capable of pushing extreme boundaries. The hunger to rise, to abandon misery, and to never feel weak again.
But with a silent sigh, he did not indulge in pointless contemplation. He had seen the darkness and limits of humanity. He had abandoned his naivety at an early age.
Gabriel made a silent promise to himself.
He would remain faithful to himself and his ideals. To the few people close to him who truly mattered, or could matter, to him.
As long as he could preserve that... then he would still remain himself.
Shortly afterward, he logged out.
The virtual night disappeared, and he awakened once again inside his small, dilapidated apartment.
It was already quite late. Mental exhaustion began striking him the moment he fully disconnected from the neural synchronization.
Gabriel set the helmet aside and lay directly upon the improvised bed. But before sleeping, he remained staring at the fragile ceiling while reviewing everything that had happened during the day inside the game.
His encounter and battle with the strange woman, the hunt, and the old man’s words.
And for the first time in a very long while, he allowed himself to feel satisfaction.
It was a rare, genuine, and profound satisfaction.
The kind of feeling born from truly moving toward something better.
Gabriel slowly closed his eyes with a faint mental smile.
He did not sleep very long. He needed to wake up early.
The faint, monotonous light of Neo-Atlas Inferior partially crossed the window when Gabriel slowly rose from the bed. His stomach immediately protested.
He was hungry again.
Gabriel let out a small sigh and left the apartment. The streets were already filled with workers, drones, and couriers moving through the industrial levels.
The smell of fuel and rusted humidity saturated the air. He walked toward a small authorized synthetic food center where he used part of the social credits earned the previous day.
He had completed several bonus objectives in the delivery app, allowing him to purchase something slightly more decent than usual.
"Decent" was still a generous word. The package still resembled lightly seasoned plastic, but at least it would fill his stomach.
He quickly returned to the apartment and began eating silently while holographically browsing the game forums.
Once again, it dominated the trends, filled with guides, theories, popular streams, discussions about hidden classes, and rumors regarding mysterious players.
Some people even proudly claimed to have witnessed users capable of using completely unknown special abilities.
Gabriel eventually let out a faint nasal laugh. The routine was already becoming hilarious.
Eating trash food while obsessively reading forums about the most popular video game that would probably change his life.
If someone had told him that a few months ago, he probably would have thought they were delusional.
That day would be different. He would take a day off work.
He would invest the entire day inside the game.
Gabriel finished the synthetic meal, quickly cleaned the container, and grabbed the neural helmet once again. Excitement appeared almost instantly within his chest.
Synchronization completed.
The virtual wind struck his face once more.
With voices and footsteps becoming part of his new scenery. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Life within the Novice Village returned around him. Gabriel could perfectly hear the cacophony of players talking, trading, and discussing strategies.
Some bragged about new equipment, while others searched for groups to clear beginner dungeons.The noise was universal.
But Gabriel simply advanced among them like a shadow. He needed to resolve something important before continuing his progress.
He needed a mask.
Concealing his identity was becoming increasingly necessary. Especially after the encounter with Bella. If he continued standing out too much, people might eventually begin seriously investigating him.
That was why he headed toward the Village General Store.
The place was fairly crowded. Various conversations filled the exterior while players compared basic items and beginner consumables.
Gabriel ignored all of it and quickly crossed the entrance.
The interior smelled of old wood and treated leather, with shelves packed with tools, backpacks, cloaks, and equipment decorating the place.
A merchant NPC slightly raised his gaze when Gabriel approached.
"I’m looking for masks."
The merchant immediately nodded and pointed toward a side section of the store.
"Facial accessories and aesthetics are in the back."
Gabriel walked toward the indicated section.
And then he slowly began examining the masks. There was everything imaginable.
Simple cloth masks, metallic masks. Some had elegant designs, others intimidating ones, while a few imitated beasts.
Gabriel observed them one after another while trying to decide what kind of identity he wanted to build within the game. He needed something useful, but also discreet.
Then he saw it.
Partially hidden behind several more common masks.
A Jester’s mask. It was strange and intricate.
Elegant in an unsettling way. It possessed carved patterns around the eyes and an exaggerated smile painted across the dark porcelain-white face. It did not appear ridiculous, but disturbingly refined.
And the strangest thing of all was its cheap price.
Slightly cheaper compared to the other decorative masks.
Gabriel remained staring at it for several seconds.
Something inside him reacted immediately upon seeing it. It was a choice he felt satisfied with.
Without fully understanding why, Gabriel picked up the mask.
"I’ll take this one."
The NPC did not even seem surprised.
The transaction was completed quickly, and the mask disappeared into his personal inventory.
Gabriel immediately opened the panel to observe it once again.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[JESTER’S MASK]
Rarity: Common
Description: "Those who laugh behind a mask rarely show their true face."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Gabriel slowly closed the window.
There was something uncomfortable about that description.
But there was no point dedicating too much thought to it.
He needed to level up. That was his primary objective.
And he already knew exactly where to do it.
The Abandoned Mine.
A publicly known dungeon intended for players between levels five and ten. Dark and narrow, covered in uncomfortable humidity. Filled with tunnels and aggressive creatures.
The moment he remembered its description, he knew it was perfect. Especially for someone with enhanced senses and vampiric abilities.
Gabriel slowly left the shop while the mask rested silently inside his inventory.
And for some reason, he felt as though he had just made an important decision.
