I'm The Only One With Cancer-Chapter 167: Meeting I

A few hours later, in the meeting room...

At the center of the room floated a holographic projection of the Free World’s map.

Zen stood beside it and pointed at one location. "This is where I am—the Kingdom of Light. Sera, you said earlier that you’re in the Pendragon Kingdom, right? And Mom and Dad are currently in the Free City of Cordelia?"

"Mhm." Sera and Rina hummed in acknowledgment, while Ren gave a barely noticeable nod, his gaze never leaving the map.

Zen tapped his chin with his finger for a moment, obviously in deep thought.

Looking at the map before him, he began to decide where to head first.

’If we’re talking pure distance, then maybe I can go to Cordelia first, but it’s not like I can just fly in a straight line. The route will also matter, since the monsters, terrains, and other factors will differ from those of Earth.

Aside from the fact that the Free World is a fantastical world filled with dangers, it is larger than Earth. This only makes it more dangerous...’

Zen then closed his eyes tightly for a few moments, his brain and Intelligence Stat going into overdrive as he thought of the most plausible course of action.

After all, even though he could be considered overpowered, he dared not risk it.

’At the end of the day, I’m still just a level 1, and I don’t want to die in the game just because I became too overconfident...’

It took him a few minutes to finish thinking.

Seeing him open his eyes with clarity, Ren, Rina, and Sera all unconsciously straightened their backs, listening attentively to whatever he was about to say.

Zen glanced at his family with a faint smile before speaking as he gestured over the Free World map beside him. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"The regions surrounding the Kingdom of Light are the Horus Mountain Range to the north, the Koshka Forest to the west, and the Endless Sea to the east and south.

If we’re only talking about distance, then going to Cordelia, where Mom and Dad were, is the better choice. But crossing the Endless Sea is very dangerous, according to the information I gained in the game. Besides, the Free World doesn’t seem to have anything like airplanes, based on what I know.

So the only mode of transportation would be via ships. But unlike Earth, the Free World is filled with monsters..."

"Crossing it is out of the question, then." Ren chimed in; there was an intelligent light in his eyes that seemed to have been weighing the pros and cons.

Glancing at her husband and son, Rina suggested, "Then, it will be better if you go to Sera first."

"That’s what I’m about to say as well, Mom, Dad."

Zen then continued speaking as he pointed at some parts of the map from time to time, "The Pendragon Kingdom is located north of the Kingdom of Light. Although I’m not sure of its exact distance, considering that the Free World is larger than the Earth, it’s safe to assume that I will need to travel at least ten thousand kilometers...

This also means that I’ll have to pass through the Horus Mountain Range, since it is the most efficient way."

"But will you be safe?" Rina asked with worry.

Zen nodded, "Yes, Mom. At most, I will need to level up a few times in the Kingdom of Light first before I leave. Though I’m highly confident that I’ll be able to pass through it safely without any mishaps, as long as I don’t wander off its forbidden zones."

He then glanced at his father and sister as he continued.

"The Horus Mountain Range is home to cyclops and many other monsters. It stretches for thousands of kilometers, its varied terrain supporting a wide range of ecosystems. Simply put, it’s a dangerous area—one that requires at least level 70 to traverse safely, and possibly as high as level 249 if I were to accidentally enter a forbidden zone."

As Zen spoke, he noticed that his family seemed to emit a strong aura of worry, making him sweat a little.

Then, after a few moments of consideration, he raised his hands with a wry smile, "You don’t have to worry about me. There’s no one in this world who’s more afraid of dying than me, especially in the game.

After all, I don’t want to be bored out of my mind here..."

His honesty made the three’s expression lighten.

Ren nodded as well, "It’s natural for us to worry about you, but we also believe in you. There’s no need to explain too much, okay? I think it’s you who worries more than us, after all."

"Haha..." Rina and Sera could not help but giggle at his words.

Meanwhile, Zen seemed to have some sort of realization, "Dad’s right... Instead of me being afraid of worrying them, it is me who worries too much..."

Ring—

While they were sharing a laugh, Ren felt a vibration in his pocket, which prompted him to check his phone.

Rina, Sera, and Zen looked at him with curious expressions.

"Okay, got it. We’re already in the meeting room. We’ll wait for you here. Yes, yes. Okay."

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Ren looked at his family and smiled, "Margareth said that they wanted to discuss something with us..."

AS he was speaking, Zen and Sera’s curiosity intensified.

Meanwhile, Rina’s expression instantly soured as soon as she heard Margareth’s name.

***

A few minutes later...

Creak—

The double door to the meeting room opened as five figures entered.

"We apologize for suddenly requesting a meeting with you, Commander."

Margareth was the first one to speak, her tone apologetic, but she was secretly glancing at Rina with a taunting expression.

Ren waved his hand with a smile, "Come on, guys. You’re all my friends. Besides, we’re not in the Twilight Task Force anymore; there’s no need to address me as commander."

"""""We understand, Commander."""""

The five saluted uniformly, making him helplessly smile.

Ren had repeatedly said that there was no need to address him as commander anymore, but it was like this every time.

On the side, Zen and Sera found the scene amusing, while Rina was exchanging angry glances with Margareth.

Everyone then took a seat as Ren asked, "Anyway, enough with the jokes. What’s the thing you wanted to discuss with us?"

Margareth glanced at Zen and said, "Well, the thing is... We’re planning to be a little aggressive with the acquisition of the gaming devices, because of the power your son has demonstrated to us."

"Huh? What demonstration are you talking about?" Rina asked in confusion, while Ren seemed to fall into deep thought.

Margareth then began to recount the things that had happened when Ren, Rina, and Sera were in the game earlier in the morning.

She explained everything in detail—from the moment they detected the meteor, to how Zen resolved it using the powers he gained from the game, and finally to his demonstration of those abilities in the lab.

As they listened, Ren, Rina, and Sera’s expressions shifted from time to time; worry and shock could be seen on their faces by the time Margareth finished recounting the things that had happened.

Seeing his family’s gaze, Zen could not help but feel a little embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head.

However, Ren and Rina also glanced at each other’s eyes, seeing the helplessness in them.

They initially wanted to question why they were not able to detect the meteor earlier, but they knew that due to the changes in the climate because of the war, particularly in the Earth’s atmosphere, the trajectory of the meteors had become unpredictable.

This was why even with Eden Republic’s advanced systems, they were only able to detect the full trajectory of the meteor with only twenty minutes left until its impact.

Nevertheless, the worry in Ren and Rina’s eyes was apparent.

Of course, aside from the immense shock they felt knowing that their son was able to resolve such a dangerous situation, it also made them feel proud as parents.

In the midst of the silence, Sera could not help but ask, "Can I see the meteor?"

At her words, everyone could not help but smile slightly.

Looking at his sister’s sparkling eyes, Zen chuckled.

He then willed in his mind, and in the next moment, a blue translucent cube containing a blazing meteor appeared in his hands.

"Woah..."

Sera could not help but feel excited, ’Can I touch it?"

"Yes," Zen replied with a nod.

It was at this moment, just as Sera was playing with the cube in her hands, that Ren seemed to realize something.

His eyes shone with both confusion and curiosity as he asked, "Son, can I ask something?"

"What is it, Dad?"

"That... cube. Where did you get it? I mean... it appeared suddenly..."

His question made Margareth, Hassan, Ethan, Olivia, and Veronica glance at one another.

The look in their eyes made it obvious that they had the same thought: ’We didn’t even question that...’

Perhaps due to too many things happening all at once, they overlooked the fact that Zen was able to put the cube somewhere else.