My SSS-Rank Class Is Blood Monarch!

Chapter 315- The Great Akora River (Part 12)

He stopped and looked to the side only for his entire body to freeze in place as if it was struck by lightning. After all, all he could see in the corner of his eyes was a message notification.

Immediately, his mind thought of all the possibilities. The message could only be sent by one of his friends since that was how the messaging system worked. It helped avoid spam and other unnecessary messages, especially toward popular players.

Arthur stared at the notification for a good 30 seconds before he exhaled a very long breath and closed his eyes. He tried to calm down before he slowly moved his hand to the button and opened it.

Much to his expectations, when he opened his eyes, he saw Isla's player nickname and their message tab open. She had sent him one single message and rather a long one compared to their usual interactions.

Arthur blinked slightly as he looked down at the message. 'She sent me another one...'

Although he didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, Arthur could only smile for a split second as if he felt a rather refreshing sensation wash over him. Something about the fact that Isla was still looking for him gave him a small glimpse of hope in the distance.

At the same time, it made Arthur realize that he subconsciously still wants to

'I need to sit down before I read it.' Snapping out of his daze, he looked left and right. Everyone was busy so no one noticed his strange expression. He then walked back to his spot and sat down before he opened the message again.

'Ok, let's see what she wants.' He mused.

Isla: "Can you please reply whenever you see this message, Arthur? I don't know if you're in danger or not. But, I wish to see you as soon as possible. If you are reading the message, then please answer, I came to the tower looking for you."

"Wait, what?!" Arthur blurted out, catching everyone's attention.

"Is everything ok, sir?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, don't worry about it. I was just mistaken." The boy replied quickly, dismissing them with his hands. Then, he looked at the message again with a deep frown.

'She has already entered the tower looking for me? What? Wasn't she going to finish working on the guild before doing that?' He asked himself. "Is she postponing her work?"

"I'm on a ship heading back through the river. It's a long story, but I will see you there in two hours or so."

Isla: "Understood. Be careful."

After that message, Arthur was able to close the tab and look up. The interaction felt rather normal as if the two didn't have a problem between them. Arthur expected it to be a lot more awkward and weird but he underestimated their chemistry too much.

'Wow, I was hesitating over all of that? What the hell was I thinking?' Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. "I really lack experience when it comes to relationships. I don't get how I should act in certain situations and it can easily spiral out of control."

Arthur had come a long way and he had learned to appreciate people far more than ever before. Meeting Isla and the others had opened many doors for him and he was grateful for that. However, he was still far from good at keeping friendships. He makes a lot of mistakes and they end up causing trouble to others in one way or another.

'I want to get rid of that completely. No, I must get rid of it.' He clenched his fists as he looked down. "I need to grow out of that phase in my life."

He remembered all those ignorant ideas he seeded into his own mind. Ideas that kept him away from making friends or building relationships. He kept denying the need for them even though deep down, he hated his own life and how miserable it was.

Being alone all day every day ate away at his happiness if there was ever any happiness, to begin with.

"I should cherish it." He muttered. "But, well, before I can do any of that, I need to get back to the settlement first."

Looking up, Arthur felt the ship slowly moving down the stream, being carried by the strong wind. The sun slowly rose in the distance, illuminating the dark world and giving the group a well-needed light to guide them.

"Two more hours... Just two more hours and we will be there... Just for once, let things go smoothly, please." He muttered.

Arthur knew that he was asking for the impossible, but he truly wished that he could reach the settlement without a hitch. It was two hours of time, but it will feel like ages.

'Hopefully, those monsters had been left behind.'

A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let's keep it up!