The dark space that suffocated him was gone now.
He spent time there when he was sucked in, and there was none other than noise there.
Screams, shrills, and even cries for help.
It was so harsh that even Zypher felt that he was going crazy.
When he was bored, he would count to pass the time, but he forgot how many times did he start the count, only for him to give up midway because he doesn't want to know how much time he spent here.
But now, he is standing in front of the big screen, again.
The starting screen he met just two days ago, is here again, but better.
The font of the starting screen is not just bold letters now, but the Ø in Zerø now looked like a shield and a sword, and the other letters gained depth and design.
But, that's not the most surprising.
A table, a chair and a tea set.
"Long time no see!"
"Not a pleasure seeing you."
Zypher walked over to the starting screen, only to find out that the buttons are still gray.
Pressing an option was not an option in the first place.
"Might as well sit, while it is not open yet."
Hearing this, Zypher stopped.
He looked at Mr. Celess, and then, he smiled.
TAK! TAK! TAK!
He pressed it three times.
Nothing happened.
Mr. Celess is still here, sipping on his cup of tea.
TAK! TAK! TAK! TAK!
Four times, nothing happened.
And so, he decided to walk.
..towards the button, so he can be nearer to it.
TAK!TAK!TAKATAK!TAK!TAK!TAKTAK!
Simultaneous, fast and rhythmic.
That was the sound of him tapping the option again and again.
Mr. Celess, seeing this, stopped sipping his tea.
What happened next was a clown and his audience in a manner where they benefit of off each other.
Mr. Celess can be seen rolling on the floor, laughing, while clutching his stomach.
His laughter became in tune with Zypher's tapping, which made him more annoyed, but made Mr. Celess laugh harder.
This went on for five minutes, until Zypher's patience ran out.
After the aggressive tapping he did, there was a small hole now in where he tapped, which will become a ZCT, or Zerø Conspiracy Theory in the next seasons to come.
But, that's a story for another time.
Zypher aggressively walked towards the table and slammed his hand.
After that, he crossed it on his chest, sat down and put his foot on the table.
...clearly hiding the fact that when he slammed the table, he felt the 1.8 APH setting, making it numb and hot from the pain.
The said scenario only made the laughter harder as Mr. Celess almost lost his breath.
Zypher, feeling the frustration and the embarassment decided to just stay silent.
The whole laughing party went on for another few minutes before Mr. Celess wiped the imaginary tear from his "eyes" as he finished laughing.
"Are you done?"
Zypher asked, prompting Mr. Celess to stand up.
"Yep." He said, chuckling.
Sitting down, he poured tea to the two cups in front of him.
He then offered the tea to Zypher, and he took the other cup to himself.
He sipped it, sighing towards the air.
"What happens now?"
Zypher asked Mr. Celess.
"A couple of things."
Mr. Celess, after saying that, swiped the table, and all the tea set, just like scrolling down on a dating app, was swept away, and what appeared was a poker table.
On the said table were 55 cards, and there is one on Zypher's hand, which, much to his surprise, were the four Barbed Wire Card.
"First, you are now a Player. Congratulatio--"
"I am, from the very first time." Zypher cut him off.
Mr. Celess shook his head and took one card.
"I guess that's for the first point."
He then gave the card to Zypher, sliding it off the table, like dealing it to him.
"Second, your second card and third card will be dealt simultaneously, as you have two chains now."
The card dealt to him was a card with four different symbols, and all of them, are in gray color; Barbed Wire, Scale, Feather and Vine.
"That card is a blessing, and I handpicked it for you."
"And the third card?"
"Yes, you will be the one drawing it before you enter."
As he said that, the gray button started to light up.
But, it was just one button.
>Continue Game<
"Setting are locked, mate."
Mr. Celess said as he took the cards and started shuffling it.
"Fair enough."
Zypher said, taking the said card.
Instantly, the card began to shine as four motes of light entered his body.
The gray, clear and black chains all had another one, while the white barbed wire had more barbs now.
As he looked at the three chains, he discovered that some things changed.
First, the Clear Chain now gives him choices on how he can finish the said Quest.
This means that he has some area he can work on, and he has a mini system which shows him the way he can play, different from the first two days that he was aiming for nothing.
The Black Chain, is now much harsher. In the start, he can only gain 100 points per stat, but now, he can only gain 95. This sudden drop is messed up, and he was questioning if this is such a good thing for him.
And the Gray Chain, gave him a leeway. He can now enchant an item with magic, but still, he cannot use a tool he didn't make.
As for the White Barbs, he still doesn't know what it does, but he knows that it can be a good thing to have.
"There are 12 cards like that in the deck." Mr. Celess explained.
Zypher grimaced as he doesn't know if he will be happy or sad about it.
"So take your next card."