"Hope you enjoyed it…" Ryan commented as he looked at the empty bowl. "Would you like more?" The hooded slave shook his head in refusal. Soon, silence settled between them once again.
"Well then. In that case, go back to resting." Ryan said as he stood up, but he was soon met with resistance that drew his attention downward. The slave was gripping his sleeve with unexpected strength, clinging to him as if he were the last spark of hope to escape that frozen hell. "Is something wrong?" The slave nodded slowly.
"I want to ask you something…" the slave said in a slow, hoarse, and dry voice, almost inaudible, making Ryan frown. He could tell from the start that there was something off about this request. The hairs on his body stood on end instinctively, even before the sentence was fully spoken.
"If you need something, just say it." He spoke directly as he knelt down again. "It's in my interest that you recover, so if something hurts or you're injured, just tell me." Once again, the slave shook his head.
"It's not that something is wrong with me…" he said. "It's just that I'm worried…" The slave lowered his head, making Ryan increasingly tense.
"Tell me, what are you worried about?" Ryan's voice came out as cold as the many howls outside, making the slave shiver and lower his head even further. But then, gathering his determination once more, he raised his eyes beneath the hood and briefly met Ryan's gaze with unexpected bravery.
"I want you to promise me that you won't abandon me under any circumstances. That you'll take me wherever you go, no matter how dangerous or risky it is. That if we're going to die, we'll die together." Ryan frowned, feeling as though his plans were slipping through his fingers like sand. "…if you promise me that… I can help you and tell you what I know that you don't know…"
Ryan simply stared at the hooded figure in total silence, his expression rigid and serious, both eyes half-narrowed.
His original plan had been simple: wait for the captor to return, then fight him and steal his equipment to improve his own Aptitude.
The problem was that fights like that were risky and dangerous. He ran the risk of having his data "Destroyed" or "Corrupted", not to mention being murdered, and he definitely didn't want that. So, he needed a better plan.
That plan was to use his companion as bait, sacrificing him in the process for the sake of his own survival. With the slave dead and the captor as well, Ryan would leave with the items and minimal damage. He also intended to take advantage of the slave's knowledge to gather information beforehand, especially about where they were and where he should go.
But now…
"You want me to promise you that? What do you think I am? Some kind of noble knight? A prince on a white horse? Do you think my word is that valuable?" Ryan asked incredulously, ridiculing what was said… and the slave nodded silently with clear conviction.
"Unbelievable…" Ryan stifled a laugh and shook his head several times, still in disbelief. Then suddenly, he scratched his head in frustration and messed up his hair intensely, irritated.
Everything a man had was his word, and it was worth gold.
That was what he had been taught even before he learned how to walk.
Ryan took that seriously. No promise he made to another person would be trivialized. So, he wanted to refuse to make one… but in this case, the slave would become hostile toward him. That line of reasoning earned a string of curses.
"Alright, alright… I promise I'll protect you no matter what until you're safe. Is that good enough for you?" Ryan said bluntly, and the slave surprised nodded several times in succession, quite satisfied. Ryan could swear he was smiling beneath the hood.
He really wanted to wipe that smile off his face.
Even if Ryan complained internally, the slave could still be useful alive. Considering he had practical knowledge about this world and could help in conflicts.
Ryan would have to expose himself to some minor risks, but greater risks ahead would be reduced.
Even so… Ryan had not been entirely sincere.
'All a man has is his word… but that only holds value among other men, a promise to a cluster of data on some random server holds little to no value.' Ryan was ready to betray the slave at any opportune moment… just not now.
The fact that the slave was inhuman prepared him for a betrayal without remorse, while appearing too human left him conflicted.
The system, however, didn't care about his thoughts and soon displayed new information.
[ New Quest Unlocked: The Promise to the Weak ]
[ Details: %@&#)$_!(@ ]
[ Reward(s): @(#Y$)(!+@* ]
Once again, the system malfunctioned.
Ryan looked at it thoughtfully for a few moments, then merely scoffed and focused on the figure in front of him. "Lie down, go back to sleep." The slave nodded, and with Ryan's support, lay down once more.
Ryan then sighed and walked to the bed. He sat down and leaned his back against the wall, glancing outside through the cracked window. "The blizzard doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon… I highly doubt the captor will come under these conditions. Most likely, they'll only come after the storm passes." Ryan looked around again.
Everyone else had already died by now.
Only Ryan and that sick slave remained.
"I hope it's not a group… otherwise, we won't win easily." Ryan swallowed hard, pushing negative thoughts to the back of his mind and soon began forming plan after plan, since that was all he could do for now.
"How am I going to fight him, or them? Well… I should probably make plans for groups of one, three, and five… I could also set up some traps…" Ryan sighed, hugging the axe against his body.
Slowly, Ryan began to drift into sleep as the moon rose in the sky. Hours had already passed inside the virtual world. And thus, the first day came to an end.
As for the second day…
Ryan opened his eyes in a state of alert the moment the first ray of sunlight touched his eyelids. His eyes immediately darted around, quickly identifying a shadow approaching along the road, ignoring the now weaker blizzard. Without hesitation, he jumped off the bed and rushed to check on the slave.
"Damn it!" As soon as he got close, he clicked his tongue in disdain. The slave's chest rose and fell rapidly, panting, while sweat poured down like a fountain. His face was as red as a beet. "He's sick… damn it, damn it." Ryan immediately looked at the door.
Firm footsteps echoed in front of it.
The rusty metal doorknob began to turn, and Ryan's eyes shrunk to pinpoints. He briefly glanced at the slave, who weakly grabbed his sleeve in a desperate plea.
"You promised me…" Ryan ignored those words and quickly moved.
"Change of plans, pal."