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Lin Ling savoured the delicate pastry treat as he bit into it. Buttery, sugary, and tangy from the orange marmalade hidden within. It wasn’t much of a breakfast, but it was all he could afford at the moment, alongside what most would call 'milk with a splash of coffee'.
It was times like this, being able to calmly enjoy a treat alongside strangers that reminded Lin Ling of normality.
Not of gates, ranks, skills and monsters, but of simple, uninterrupted commutes.
But alas, like water in a river never stops flowing, things change and normality shifts. From a simple graphic designer with a pitiful salary, to a pitiful low rank with the exact same pitiful salary. Only now shifted to marketing hunters better than he’d ever even dream to be.
I suppose there are a few things that don't change, Lin Ling thought bitterly. Then again, for someone like him who had no noticeable features or status, why would the world grant him overwhelming power? The current top ten clearly showed who was a better candidate for strength, and it was not him.
But hey, maybe he wasn't the most pitiful person yet! Maybe having no power, was his power!
He finished his breakfast with fifteen minutes to spare, just enough time for him to be where his boss expected him to be. He could already feel the cheap material of the office chair replace the soft cushion of the cafe seat underneath him, burning his eyes with the image of the man he still wasn’t able to escape, Nice. Because of course the pretty idol with the image so clean he probably smelled like hotel soap, would get the blessing of being a S-rank hunter, showing off and giving Lin Ling even more work while he was at it.
"You don't look that happy."
A voice suddenly shook Lin Ling out of his thoughts. The tone was smooth in a way that felt practiced and forced, close enough to remind him that he wasn't alone in the most hidden corner of the café.
In front of him a man, stature not too dissimilar from his, dressed in a way that would not give away any distinctive features. Probably a model or someone recognizable enough trying to enjoy the morning, despite it being busy enough where it wasn't weird to share a table with a stranger.
Despite the dark, unassuming attire, Lin Ling couldn't help himself thinking that there was something familiar to the man. Maybe it was the way he kept his back straight up, or how tense his muscles seemed underneath the fabric.
"Just tired, that's all."
Small talk before work wouldn't hurt, he reasoned. The guy looked like he needed it more anyways.
The stranger hummed, unconvinced. Lin Ling observed as the man's gloved hand reached for the metal container between them, stopping as if to wonder which one to pick, despite it all being the same brand, and then go for the one whose package was more pristine, less crinkled by a worker rush to get a table ready. Then he filled the silence by shaking it to push the sugar to the bottom before finally tearing the thin paper at the top and emptying half of the packet into the still steaming black coffee. The unused half was doomed to go in the trash when those same hands folded the packet in a perfect square, preventing any sill.
After stirring a few times with the spoon, the stranger spoke up again.
"More like frustrated to me. I'm a stranger, you won't see me again. May as well take advantage of the occasion."
"Didn’t know I would meet a therapist today."
Lin Ling tried to lighten the mood, to try and melt the contagious tension his stranger companion seemed to be radiating and failing miserably when the man only gave another straight answer.
"No payment required."
Lin Ling sighed. Thought about it, then sighed again. The strangers' posture, prim and proper, deflated a little at the display.
"You're not forced-"
"No, it's fine. I just… hate my job, I guess. Or, No, I like what I do. I paid for the damn degree. I just… hate the environment? My boss is demanding, coworkers are hit or miss, and every day I'm stuck looking at a guy I can't stand. Sometimes I just wish I could do things differently. Find a way to… change. I guess. Don't you feel the same way too?"
"I…"
Maybe the stranger wasn’t expecting all that, but it took little time for him to recover.
"I understand what you mean. Especially the part about being stuck dealing with someone you don't enjoy the presence of. It does end up feeling a bit… stagnant."
Stagnant. A fitting word for how Lin Ling felt right now.
Watching the world change but not being able to change yourself. It had been three years since the gates opened and gave life to creatures only seen in fantasy, and yet the word adapted so quickly, so swiftly, that it almost felt like this fantasy was always there.
"Right?! You get me!"
The man didn't stop him when Lin Ling started to go off on a tangent, seemingly even prolonging his stay by sometimes swirling his beverage so he could listen to him longer.
And when half of the people left, with the murmur acting as background noise was almost gone, was when Lin Ling realized just how close to being late he was. Shooting up from his chair and scaring his companion in the process.
"Shit! Ahhh fuck! Sorry– Thanks for the talk!"
He let out some quick apologies, swinging his messenger bag strap over his shoulder with one hand while the other searching for his wallet amongst the mess of papers and random trash that was within. But before reaching for the leather square, at the bottom of the bag, Lin Ling had another idea.
He didn’t have anything to give back to the man or a way to make his chest feel lighter like he did to Lin Ling, but quickly gazing at the small and lonely cup of coffee, he made the quick decision to reach into his lunch bag, fishing out a sweet bun. A rare treat for him, but that today he could part with and maybe lament later during break.
The stranger did not expect it, body language implying that he would probably try to return it, but not in time as Lin Ling just left, leaving the needed amount of money to the cashier and telling them to keep the extra, ignoring their call for him as he got lost in the crowd.
"Damnit where is it?"
Lin Ling dug and dug, and yet no sign of his ID to be found in the bag.
Could he have lost it on the run here? Absolutely. He did have the tendency to leave his bag half open just so he could stick a hand inside every once in a while to feel if his belongings were where they should've been. But it was impossible to do so while running, and that's when calamity struck him.
Now between retracing his steps to find it, and just waiting near the locked door like a pitiful stray until someone passed by… the latter would probably get him less of a lashing. Maybe. Hopefully.
So he waited one minute. two. three-
Was there seriously no one running around the lobby? not even an intern still learning the layout of the building, and getting lost trying to find printer paper?
Was he really going to get fired because of this? Three years of – almost– perfect conduct in the trash for one little mistake?
Ding Ding!
… Or maybe not.
The familiar sound of an ID card getting accepted, followed by the hiss of the door opening echoed into his ears. He turned around, his brown eyes meeting blue. Clear like sky, alluring like the smile of the person holding the keycard. Lin Ling's keycard.
"You…"
This person. The person near Lin Ling. The person whom Lin Ling spent everyday for the past three years looking at and agonizing over.
"Hunter Nice?"
Dressed in his usual outfit, white and gold and never dirty, one that reminded him of old school super heroes. His hair styled in the usual way, that white coif that had become iconic for his image.
The hunter didn’t say hi or hello, only moving the hand with the keycard in front of Lin Ling.
"I believe this is yours."
Once free that same hand, that had no callouses, no chipped or bitten nails, signaled Lin Ling to go ahead first, palm facing up and reminding Lin Ling of a gentleman.
"I… thank you?"
Lin Ling forced himself to say as he did what he asked.
Why did Nice have his keycard? No, why was Nice even here?
No one from the TREEMAN guild ever came over, only communicating via e-mail, so for their top hunter to be in such a place, it meant that something important was going to happen today, ergo why no one was around.
"This is nothing. I am so lucky to have found you here actually, it's my first time in this building and a guide would be much appreciated. Would it be alright?"
"Of- of course! Where do you- uh- need to go?"
Stupid. He probably needs to go to your boss’s office –
"Sister Juan told me to go to the very top, so I suppose there."
"Alright! This way…"
Lin Ling could've easily left the man at the elevator. It's not like he was needed to help push a button, but Nice was insistent on him coming right to his boss' door, because he just needed to praise him on how helpful and careful Lin Ling was. As if he didn’t already wish to be eaten by a wolf monster enough… but at least it did end up as a perfect cover up for his tardiness.
So that's how he found himself with Nice to his left, one of his bulky bodyguards to his right, and the fiery gaze of his boss not so subtly glaring down at him as sister Juan explained what was so important for her and Nice of all people to come there in person.
"This is an important project, and as long time contractors, boss Shang decided to trust this project to your company,"
From the corner of his eye, Lin Ling could see Nice stiffen ever so slightly at the mention of the guild boss.
"We trust you not to leak information regarding this-"
A glare directed at him, God what did I do to end up like this.
"And keep this as much of a secret as possible, understand?"
"Of course sister Juan."
"Good."
With a flick of her hand, one of the bodyguards was quick to connect her work tablet to the big screen in the office, showcasing a graph surrounded by a bunch of numbers that while Lin Ling couldn't wrap his head around, still understood that they were BIG numbers. Bigger that he has ever seen.
Was he seriously allowed to be here…?
"Our technicians detected that a SSS-Rank gate is about to open in two weeks. This is an extremely rare occurrence, which means that in this timeframe we need to maximize our popularity with ads of our hunters and such."
"Two weeks–"
"It's not much, but we're already lucky to have that much. I repeat, Boss Shang trusts your company with this, and has given permission to lend Nice, and the other hunters for exclusive footage right here instead of a more high tech studio."
Lent? Like an object? Lin Ling felt his stomach twist.
"Understood, Lin Ling! Since you're already here, and as the one in charge with his ads, take Hunter Nice to your station and start working on anything that comes to mind."
Anything that comes to mind? Why don't you do that instead? He snarked back in his head.
He hated this.
Why did they need to do all of this? It's not like TREEMAN lacked applicants or guild members, unless… could this be a jab at MIGHTY GLORY? The oldest guild, the one holding three out of the top ten S-rankers and the one most often snagging A to S and the rare SS-rank dungeons.
Internally again, he scoffed. Rich people and their beef with each other. Seeing those below them as mere pawns to move around as they please.
Still, he did the only thing he could. Bow his head, give his thanks, and lead Nice where he needed him to be.
To his very messy Xiao Yueqing themed office.
Xiao Yueqing, an A-rank healer who just so happens to be Nice’s girlfriend.
Shit.
"So you are the one behind most of my advertisements. I must thank you for your hard work, Lin Ling. Without you…"
Nice didn't seem too bothered or jealous by the infinte of Xiao yueqing merch surrounding them, it must be the confidence of a strong and healthy relationship. Right.
"I should thank you instead hunter Nice, it's only because of you that the ads end up looking so perfect so… If you have something specific you want me to add, I can negotiate with the boss."
Nice looked at him, then shifted his gaze to a Xiao Yueqing doll, one with a spring that looked like it danced when moved even a little, and moved it so it would be more centered alongside the other knick knacks he had on the desk.
"There's a lot of things I'd love for you to add. To represent. But I trust you to encapsulate those feelings for me. I think at this point you know me better than myself anyways. Also, Nice is more than enough."
Nice smiled. A smile that would seem normal to the average eye but that Lin Ling could easily see that had something hidden underneath.
Clearly, Nice wanted to say something specific but felt too afraid to ask, was it because of Shang De?
Bosses abusing their subordinates, nothing new here, as sad as it was to admit.
Now, Lin Ling still didn’t fully like the guy, but with this supposed revelation, he could cut him some slack.
Because, at the end of the day, what could a no power, low rank like him do, other than show a little kindness to someone that clearly needed it?
And on the plus side, as they(Lin Ling) worked and brainstormed (Nice listened) ideas on what to do, he seemed to ease up more. Helped by letting Nice move things around the desk and place them how they looked best.
A hiss of pain interrupted Lin Ling's pacing around the room, a habit he had since forever that helped him since forever with studying or coming up with ideas.
He quickly looked at Nice, who helplessly stared at his finger, blood ready to spill out. The culprit, a cutter he forgot to close, half hidden beneath a pile of markers and pens. Ah. Oops.
There were no tissues, only an explanation box Lin Ling forgot to throw out.
He stammered out an apology.
"Sorry! Sorry, lemme run to the bathroom real quick."
"It's fine, my regeneration is enough."
Right. S-rank. But clearly, it wasn't as quick as Lin Ling thought.
Now, despite Lin Ling's lack of power, he did gain some handy skills when the gates first opened.
[Prolonged awakening]
[Quick step]
[Overthinker]
— the last one he wasn’t that happy about actually —
But the best one was [Healing touch]. Most often than not Lin Ling would find bruises on his body that he could never understand where they come from, so [Healing touch] was a more than welcomed skill to have for small everyday stuff like this. Lin Ling outstretched his hand to Nice.
"Nice, give me your hand."
"Why?"
"It's not anything bad, trust me."
Nice looked between Lin Ling's face and his hand, before finally following what the brown haired man requested. Relinquishing his wounded hand and placing it gently over Lin Ling's.
A gentle golden glow emanated from underneath it after he did so. It felt like a tickle, and Nice had to stifle a laugh.
It took less than a second, thanks to the small cut size, Lin Ling quickly released the hand which was starting to tremble slightly.
"Done! How do you feel?"
Nice inspected his hand. No scarring, no pain.
"You're a healer?"
"I- Uh, wouldn’t call myself that. I just happened to have a healing skill. And it's not that strong either so… not a healer."
"Lin Ling, strength doesn't come from rank alone."
He scoffed. Out loud for the first time.
"I'm serious."
"I'm sorry but, everytime someone says that, they're high ranks taking pity on those below them. A D-rank like me can never be like X."
"I agree that X is a whole another level, but let me tell you, my bodyguards are not S-ranks or A-ranks, they're D-ranks like you and lower. I'm sure you've seen the videos of them in action, it's because of how they use their skills. And equipment also does its job, of course."
"What are you trying to do, telling me all this?"
"My point is, and I know this is sudden, but TREEMAN would love to have you. I would love to have you."
Lin Ling's heart skipped a beat. No. No. He doesn't mean it like that. Nice has a girlfriend.
"Are you asking me because you're short on healers?"
"Maybe. But I'm sure this would shake your life a bit. Weren't you complaining about it this morning?"
"Wait, what?"
"Make your life less… stagnant."
Stagnant?
Lin Ling finally understood. The insistence for him to join. Why Nice had his keycard.
Oh god, Lin Ling said he didn't like him to his face, and now Nice wanted him to join a guild?
'will never see me again' my ass.
Now it was Nice's turn to outstretch his hand to Lin Ling. And he had to think. Clearly, boss Shang wasn't any better than his current boss, so why did he still feel compelled to say yes? To wipe that sad miserable aura no one but him seemed to see?
"Oh— fine! Fine… if I die, I'm haunting you forever."
"Perfect."
Lin Ling hated how soft his hand was, and how easily it warmed with Lin Ling's touch.
It felt like a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ kind of moment. One second he was slaving away in an office, wishing for a life he thought he could never achieve, and the second… he was with Nice, doing in fact what he wished to do and be.
Be a hunter. Be more than a face among the crowd.
It had been only two weeks. Two grueling weeks where he trained day and night just to be strong enough to be by Nice's side, going through dungeons and slowly gaining the approval of everyone, even the hard to please Wreck, so why…
Lin Ling looked at Nice slumping on the wall. red soaking his white uniform. He rushed to him, [Healing touch] already activated and treating the worst of the wounds.
It had been going so well, despite the hard difficulty of the SSS-rank dungeon, they were making it work. Then an unexpected hoard of monsters manage to separate Nice and Lin Ling from the rest, the former barely saving Lin Ling from a fatal blow, in exchange for his safety.
"Shit— Nice, Stay with me. I'll— God why is your regeneration so slow? You're an S rank, it's supposed to be—"
"… not."
Nice raspy voice interrupted him, blood seeping out of those pale lips — he was not supposed to be that pale– he was not— Lin Ling almost wanted to scream at him to just shut up.
"Not? Not what?"
"I'm not… They wanted me to be, but I'm just…"
He coughed. Even more blood came out, splattering on Lin Ling's face, but he didn't care.
They wanted him to be a S-rank?
Lin Ling understood all the talk about rank not mattering but skill. Lin Ling thought it was just to keep him motivated, but maybe this was a way for Nice to self motivate too.
His hands pressed on the wound even harder, Nice groaning. He ignored it like he ignored his mana slowly reaching zero, despite it being inflated from his base stat thanks to all the armor and potions and buffs he was given.
"I don't care if you're an S rank or an A rank or whatever word of the alphabet, you're Nice to me, always have been. From your stupid idol dances to you sparkling like a light bulb with one of your skills— please don't leave me."
He pressed his lips upon Nices, and ignoring how the white haired hunter tensed up, only focusing on keeping the blood inside of Nice and not outside. Focusing on the taste of that blood, how he wished he could've tasted it in a different way. One where Nice wasn't actively dying on him and Lin Ling could properly rationalize his feelings for the guy he knew for three years but only spoke to for two weeks.
What happened next was blurry, Lin Ling remembers hauling Nice onto his back, blood still wetting his back but at a less alarming rate, and making his way back to the exit, screw the press if they saw the untouchable Nice hurt, and now being seated near Nice hospital bed. Machine beeping as Lin Ling waited for him to wake up.
Nice will wake up.
Nice will… Lin Ling held his cool, unresponsive hand, and hated how it didn't warm up, no matter how much he kept holding it.