Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 108 - Satisfactory Conclusion...?

When they arrived back at the Glacial Observatory, the atmosphere was one of profound relief. Johno listened to their final report with an expression that grew heavier with each revelation. When they finished explaining about the Wings base and its destruction, he lowered his massive head almost to the floor.

"Thank you, thank you." He said quietly. He lowered his head until he was entirely in a dogeza. "My deepest thanks and respects, Honored Aria Knights!"

"Please!" Valeria rushed to usher him back up. "Get up, there’s no need for that! Why do you keep apologizing to us?"

Johno looked back at her with heavy, guilty eyes. "I made you all go on a wild goose chase. What Ice stations, what Mika? If I did a better job, I would have had the information ready when you arrived. Instead, you had to do everything for us. I am truly incompetent!"

"You couldn’t have known everything." Valeria said. "The infiltration was sophisticated. We wouldn’t have discovered it without Lumi here." She gestured over to Lumi.

She continued. "The Wings of Darkness are a global, well-funded, professional organization. There is no shame in acknowledging their capabilities."

"Still," Johno raised his head, and there was new determination in his eyes. "This will not happen again. We must tell everyone the truth. Mika most of all. She deserves our deepest apologies."

Lumi took a few steps forward until he was in front of the big seal. "Johno." He spoke sternly.

"Yes, Honored Knight?" Johno responded respectfully, not knowing that technically Lumi wasn’t a Knight.

Lumi gave him a firm grip on his shoulder. "As Valeria said, the Wings of Darkness are nothing to scoff at." He knew that Johno could not be relieved with just that, so he chose a different path. He gestured to the Knights behind him. "Do not compare your efforts to what we accomplished. Naturally, we Knights will surpass you."

"!?" Valeria forced herself to stay calm, but was internally struck. What kind of arrogant statement was that! They didn’t want to give off a bad impression to anyone!

But contrary to what Valeria had believed, when Johno heard those words, he visibly calmed down.

He nodded fervently. "You are right, you are right!" He got up, giving a sigh of relief. "My apologies. I got so caught up with myself, that I forgot that. My apologies for being so arrogant that I thought my work could compare with yours."

"That’s no issue at all, friend." Lumi patted him on the back. "Your people love you, you kept stability, and looked for a solution during hard times. You are humble, and listen to others. You are a good leader."

Johno cracked a smile, his eyes almost watering yet not. "Thank you, sir."

Moving onwards, Lumi asked the man. "What do you plan to do now?"

Johno looked up at the skies. He considered the time he had left, then spoke. "Tomorrow, as soon as morning light hits, I’ll sail out and give Mika my personal apologies."

"Me too!" One of the seal researchers in the back echoed.

"Um. I’ll go too. I said some things about her." A seal shyly added.

"I need to apologize as well." A human added.

"It’s decided, then." Johno nodded. He then turned back to the Knights. "Your quarters have been prepared. If you would like dinner, just say the word, and what you’d like."

"Thank you." Valeria thanked him. "Anything is good with me."

"Meat!" Jin exclaimed. "I want meat!"

"Heh," Lumi couldn’t help but give a light chuckle at Jin’s simple enthusiasm, then joined him. "Meat!"

"That’s my man!" Jin raised a hand as he and Lumi high-fived each other.

"Meat! Meat! Meat!"

"Alright!" Johno gave a smile at that. "We can do that!"

"Hm." Zara made a low sound while thinking. "Coffee?"

"Zara." Valeria gently butted her. "You only drank Coffee this morning, and for lunch. Eat something."

Zara tilted her head. "But I ate yesterday already?"

"I really liked that vegetable dish from last time," Marcus spoke to Johno. "Could there be more of that?"

Elara took a step forward. "You are all... complicated." She gestured with her hand to Valeria, "I’ll have whatever, same as her."

"Okay," Johno looked at the last person who hadn’t spoken. "Susie?"

"Huh? I get to choose?"

"...of course?"

"Oh!" She hopped up excitedly. "Then, I could have a bunch of bones crushed up and made into soup, that would be great!"

"What?"

...

After eating well, after yet another hard day of work, they all went to rest once more. This of course included Lumi logging off.

Taking off Masteria was always an interesting experience for Renan.

His aching body.

The way he would no longer be called Lumi, but Renan.

I still don’t understand it. Am I remembering wrong...?

He couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Why suddenly, just days into Masteria, players are already finding their names awkward, and changing to more realistic names.

That’s a change, is it not? Did I cause it? Or was it something else? Is there something else that travelled to the past other than me? Logically, I should not be so special as to be the only one. Yet in practice, I have found no evidence of others.

He sighed. There was so much to do, yet limited attention and energy he could give.

Renan went through the motions of yet another day. Eating, logging nutrition, stretching, exercising, and simple communication. Checking up on what needed to, and replying to what he needed to.

Then he could get to what he really cared about.

Lena. But he frowned when he saw her latest message.

[Lena: Hey dearling, deer? Deer? Deerling? Dearling? Shika? Male deer? You are a Shika. Mhmm. That aside, hey dear! Just gonna let ya know, I gotta sleep early tonight. I didn’t get to message you again in Masteria. Well, I hesitated at first because I didn’t wanna interrupt your very important existence, but then I never got the chance after I got booted out.]

[Lena: Anyways anyways anyways, the point, I gotta sleep. I’m so sorry. Sorry sorry. I don’t feel well enough to be awake right now. I really hate living here. Sorry. I’ll still give it my all in Masteria. You don’t have to worry about me in the slightest. I should only help you, never inconvenience you. I know my place.]