“How is that possible?” Minjae exclaimed, his face red from embarrassment.
Mandy was kicked out right off the bat; not even given the chance to say goodbye. Well, it wasn’t like she had the face to do so.
Minjae, being the most provocative player in the show, slumped on the couch before pointing a finger at Annie. “Then, you really did finish seven missions.”
Annie pursed her lips. “That’s what I said.”
“You bastards,” Minsu chimed. “How dare you look down on us? I answered eight questions, you know?”
Jenny rolled her eyes and continued looking at her nails while chewing gum. She had a one-digit value. However, she had high hopes because her group appeared pretty strong. That meant that someone was way too confident with their low scores.
Bacon PD cleared his throat. “That is why you should always be careful with your decisions on the show,” he said before standing.
He glanced at Zeno as he walked by, but even then, he couldn’t understand what he was thinking about. How many points does this kid have?
Billy, however, wasn’t afraid to voice it out.
“How many points did you get, Zeno?” he asked.
“I gave up in the end,” Zeno answered truthfully.
Minjae scoffed while Jenny smirked. What an honest answer.
Minsu joined in and wrapped one arm around Zeno. “Even then, our scores were higher than theirs, so don’t feel bad. Ari and Annie must have gotten a huge amount.”
Zeno nodded while the others tried to make out the others’ values. Nobody budged, though. It was a battle of pride.
Zeno smirked because they hadn’t asked them again. They truly weren’t curious about his score.
Good.
Zeno knew from the start that they were playing for the long run.
He glanced at Annie. Her innocent looks were deceiving, but she told the truth a while ago. She answered seven riddles.
Ari, too, was silent and composed. She had the look of someone who processed things deeply.
Minsu, even with all his jokes, had sharp eyes and quick reactions. The moment Mandy didn’t choose them, Zeno was pleased.
She’d picked the wrong team.
Zeno had stopped at 44 points—not because he couldn’t go further, but because he didn’t want to. He knew Mandy hit 45, which meant she missed the ten-pointer. It was the only question she missed.
That was enough for him. The second place is where he wanted to be.
He could’ve gone higher. He knew where the answers were, but he didn’t want the attention. He didn’t want the meal that came with being the star. At least, not yet.
Winning, after all, doesn’t always mean being first.
***
“What is your plan, 25?” Slash muttered as he looked at his stats. Slash couldn’t monitor Zeno’s every move; only his location and what he could see in those apps that humans use.
What was it again? Sigmoid?
With that, he relied a lot on Zeno’s system.
He was well past his original meter, and it seemed that Zeno didn’t have any plans to reverse it.
[Fame Meter: 59%]
A small smile appeared on Slash’s lips. “Are you finally having fun?” he muttered to himself.
The other Ascendants were busy with their own systems when the doors suddenly opened, revealing Apex in all of his glory.
Slash quickly moved to another tab, where Zeno’s system wasn’t shown.
“Apex,” the others greeted respectfully. However, Slash remained seated and began looking for new items for Zeno.
“How’s it going?” Apex greeted, appearing like a politician.
Slash pursed his lips and let out a deep breath. Not long after, he felt a cold presence behind his back.
“You’re not going to greet me?”
Slash turned around and bowed slightly.
Apex’s laughter echoed around the dome. The others chimed in, obviously wanting to kiss up to the highest-ranked.
Slash wasn’t amused, though. He had come in at around the same time as the Apex, so he didn’t regard him as a god like the others did.
Apex placed a hand on Slash’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze—not enough to hurt, but enough to leave a mark. Still, Slash did not flinch and merely focused his gaze on his own work.
“How is Zeno’s mission going?” he asked.
“Good.”
“That’s not the answer I’m expecting. Tell me the details.”
Slash sighed and ran his fingers through his long hair, one he hadn’t bothered to cut since he spawned on this planet.
“He’s doing well as always. What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know,” Apex muttered. “It seems to me that you’re acting suspicious. I told you—you’re being too harsh on Zeno. Lay low a bit, will you? You’re being too mean to our best employee.”
“I’m doing this so he can finish his mission faster,” Slash said through gritted teeth.
Apex clicked his tongue and finally released his hold, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Slash looked up at him and hated how he couldn’t read his face.
It felt like looking into an endless void covered by his hood. He couldn’t make out any of his features, making him bite his lip.
“Go easy on the quests,” Apex reminded, his voice turning cheery. “He only has one year to finish this mission.”
“I know,” Slash muttered. “You don’t have to remind me every time.”
The other Ascendants began whispering as they watched their interaction.
“Is it alright to talk to the Apex like that?”
“Slash has been here before us. I think he and the Apex were close before.”
“I think they’re still close now. Slash wouldn’t speak to him like that if they weren’t.”
Slash nearly scoffed.
Close, my ass.
Before leaving, Apex left some words. “Remember what I said, Slash. Don’t give Zeno too much of a hard time. I just want him to come back… safely.”
“Hmm,” Slash merely hummed, knowing Apex wouldn’t drop the topic unless he conceded.
That was what he always wanted. Instilling authority.
Apex patted his shoulder. “Good job,” he complimented.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him go back.”
Slash nodded and didn’t bother acknowledging his presence any further. Instead, he went to Sigmoid, the app filled with hate that humans seemed to be addicted to.
What a bunch of sadists.
The second episode of his new show had just aired, and Zeno’s name was already trending.
[+1 Public Perception.]
[Fame Meter: 60%]
Then, Slash sighed.
“I’m doing this for you, 25.”
After all, Slash had known him for the longest.