Villain Ch 48. Disguise
Zoe's heart raced with panic as Allen's question hung in the air. She immediately lifted her head, locking her gaze with his in an attempt to mask her discomfort. "Of course not," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm just a little tired. My mom and I have been leveling since morning."
She watched as a look of understanding crossed Allen's features. "Ah, I see," he said with a nod. "How many levels did you guys manage to get?"
Zoe took a deep breath, gathering her composure. "Not much," she replied, trying to sound confident. "We only managed to reach level 21."
She could see the surprise in Allen's eyes, and a part of her was relieved that she had managed to impress him. "That's the same as my level," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Good then. This quest should be easy for us."
"Yeah," Zoe replied nonchalantly, trying to hide the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. The thought of working alongside Allen on this quest was both thrilling and terrifying. Just like yesterday's war event.
Shea watched her daughter closely, her eyes flickering between Zoe and Allen. She could sense that something was different about her daughter's demeanor when she was around him, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It wasn't until she looked at Zoe's face, the flush of her cheeks, and the way her eyes lingered on Allen's features, that she realized what it was.
She knew that Allen was exactly the type of person that Zoe was drawn to, from the moment they had first met. His dark hair and piercing eyes, the athletic body beneath his shirt, all of it made Zoe weak at the knees. And she was happy that her daughter had found someone she was attracted to.
Without a second thought, Shea stepped forward, her eyes locked on Allen's. As she drew closer, a playful smirk crossed her features, a glint of mischief in her eyes. And then, with a boldness that surprised even her, she reached out and took Allen's arm.
"I think we should go now," Shea said with a playful smirk, the corner of her lips turning up mischievously. She knew that her daughter was smitten with Allen, and she couldn't resist teasing her a little.
Zoe looked surprised, her eyes wide as she bit her lip nervously, her gaze fixed on Shea's hand as she held Allen's arm.
Shea couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at her daughter's reaction. Then she glanced over at Vivian, Shea could see the same look of interest in her eyes. 'Well, it seems he is quite popular,' she thought.
But Allen's reaction was different from the others.
Allen's voice was low and measured as he cleared his throat, drawing Shea's attention back to him. He spoke with a seriousness that belied his casual demeanor. "I think we should disguise ourselves and create a party first," he reminded her, his tone firm and steady.
Shea nodded, her mind racing as she considered their options. Kafra had warned them about accessing the town or city and low-level maps with their true forms. They needed to blend in with the other players, and that meant disguising themselves as fellow gamers.
"Oh, I forgot about that," Shea said with a sheepish grin, quickly releasing her grip on Allen's arm.
Without further ado, Allen created a party and invited all of them to join. Then he used his skill.
'Disguise.'
A screen appeared in front of him, displaying his character and the option to create a new one. He deftly navigated through the menus, selecting options for each character trait and appearance. It even asked for a new name, which would serve as an alias for their true identities.
What set this screen apart was the additional options that it offered. As they created their new characters, it asked them to determine their class as players. They could choose to be a swordsman, a mage, an archer, or any other class that would aid them in their quest. It was an important decision, as their class would determine their abilities and skill sets.
After fiddling for a few seconds and pressing enter, Allen's appearance changed. His once deep blue hair turned jet black. His clothes changed, too, morphing into the gear of a dual dagger class player. His new name appeared above his character's head. It read "Al," a simple nickname that he used in real life. He had tried to come up with something more creative at first, but after hitting several "this name is already taken" messages, he decided to keep it simple.
[Disguise complete!]
[Countdown 59:58]
[You have equipped basic dual daggers (Default)]
[You have equipped basic uniform (Default)]
[All your demonic skills are locked.]
[You got dual dagger player's skills]
He scrolled through the skill list. He had chosen the dual-dagger class, so he focused on his skills related to it, like quick attack and evasion.
A few seconds later, he turned to the others. "Are you guys ready?" he asked.
But the others seemed to still set their appearance. Vivian was still trying to find the perfect appearance that suited her. She wanted to look intimidating and cute at the same time, but all the options in the game seemed too cliché or stereotypical. She kept scrolling through the screen, trying different combinations of features, hairstyles, and clothes.
Zoe, on the other hand, was having trouble choosing a name for her character. She had tried several names that she thought sounded cool or cute, but they were all already taken. She sighed in frustration and started typing random letters, hoping the system would suggest a name.
Shea was having trouble choosing a class. She had played many different classes before, but none of them seemed to fit her current strategy for the quest. She finally settled on the mage class, which had a wide range of offensive spells and could support her teammates.
As the others continued to customize their appearance and class, Allen grew impatient. He knew they had a limited time of his skill, and they needed to get started soon. "Please be quick," he reminded them. "We need to finish this quest in an hour."