58. FIND OXYGEN TANKS

Simultaneous gunfire and explosions from makeshift bombs attached to Chloe's arrows wreaked havoc on a group of zombies that had gathered in the courtyard of the multi-story building. Garreth immediately dispatched the approaching zombies, while Ethan stood guard at the front.

Within minutes, the dozens of zombies had been destroyed by Ethan and his teammates.

"Yes!" Dane exclaimed happily.

Ethan and his team quickly entered a building that was reportedly still stocked with oxygen tanks when they entered The Casual: The City. They were familiar enough with the routes and building locations that they didn't have much trouble dealing with the zombies.

Being several levels above level 10 made it much easier for them to deal with the zombies.

Although the gold they earned seemed insignificant and worthless, killing many zombies drained their energy.

"There are some tanks over there," Chloe pointed out.

After traversing two floors of the building, they had reached the required oxygen tank quota.

For two consecutive days at specific times—in real-world time—they had made appointments to obtain oxygen tanks. And they all had obtained the oxygen tanks to advance to level 16 later.

Garreth placed the oxygen tanks in his virtual inventory.

"There are still tanks here, shall we take them? They can be sold," the man said with a slight chuckle. "We could make more money."

Ethan shook his head. "No. There are other players who need them."

"Besides, the oxygen tanks are... free," Miriam added, emphasizing the last word.

Garreth, who had been preparing to add some oxygen tanks to his inventory, immediately threw the tanks to the floor. His expression remained flat and unaffronted.

Garreth's reaction was just a shrug. "Okay."

"Come on, let's get out of here," Ethan urged.

The five of them exited the building and walked leisurely toward the subway. In real-world time, tomorrow would mark the start of the main game day. Without needing to say it to each other, they all felt the tension.

"So what are these oxygen tanks for?" Garreth asked.

Miriam never wanted to discuss what happened on level 16; she always claimed that her memory was vague. All she remembered was that they had to use the oxygen tanks to reach the surface and survive. Otherwise, they would die in the game.

"Survival," Dane said, as if to represent what was on Miriam's mind now.

"It's quite difficult for those who have never dived before," Garreth interjected suddenly.

The others looked at him for a moment.

Then Garreth continued, "Even though we have oxygen tanks, first time divers will feel their hearts racing. Not to mention the pain in their ears from the water pressure. Most of them will panic at the prospect of an uncomfortable situation."

"It would be very deadly for those who can't swim," Ethan commented.

"Indeed," Garreth nodded. "Even for those who can swim, not everyone understands diving techniques."

This made Ethan worried because he had never engaged in physical activities in his life. Ethan couldn't swim, and he wasn't sure how he would handle the beginning of level 16. But Ethan didn't want to tell his friends about it.

Ethan would find a way to learn to dive as soon as possible. It's really short.

Maybe watching tutorials on the Internet, although it's unclear if they would be helpful or not.

"Hey, E!" Dane suddenly patted Ethan on the back. "Something bothering you?"

Ethan shook his head quickly. "No, why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Dane shrugged. "It's like something's on your mind."

Ethan forced a smile. "Everything's fine, Dane."

Their attention was distracted by a few zombies that were approaching. Quickly, Garreth ran forward and the sound of his hidden blade could be heard. With just a few strikes, the zombies' heads were decapitated; lying on the sidewalk.

Miriam clapped her hands at Garreth's progress. "That's cool!"

"Actually, The Casual is very helpful; at least we can practice our fighting skills," Garreth replied, sounding serious.

Chloe glanced at Miriam and Dane. "We're Shooters, Garreth."

"So what? Don't Shooters have fighting skills? They should be able to fight enemies at close range or under pressure," Garreth looked at Chloe. "You know, by training in combat or defense skills, maybe you can have a double classification."

"Like a hybrid," Dane chuckled.

Garreth pointed with his finger. "That's what I'm talking about."

Chloe's face still showed doubt, although she only laughed quietly at Garreth's explanation. But for some reason Garreth insisted. He walked backwards and looked at his teammates.

"Ethan has a double classification," Garreth blurted out.

"Me?" Ethan looked confused.

"You are a tank, Ethan. The sword is specifically classified as a fighter, but you're allowed to use it. Without penalty," Garreth cleared his throat quietly, "So... there's a possibility that any player, if they show new and different skills..."

"That player could get a dual classification," Dane continued.

Ethan, Chloe and Miriam looked at each other. They realized that Ethan had used Albert's Legacy Sword several times. So Garreth's theory wasn't necessarily impossible.

They reached the door to the subway.

"If what Garreth said is true, maybe we should meet at The Casual more often and practice," Chloe suddenly suggested. "What do you guys think?"

Dane and Ethan looked at each other. "Yeah, of course," they both nodded.

"I'm in!" Garreth raised his hand again.

But Miriam just cleared her throat. "I can't promise, because... I have a very busy schedule. But if I can, of course, I'll join."

Chloe gestured by touching her cheek and ear. "I'll call you."

Miriam nodded. "Sure."

After passing through the portal of The Casual: The City, the five of them walked to the portal in and out of the OFF LIMIT game. They briefly discussed the next meeting schedule, then said their goodbyes. As Dane, Miriam and Garreth entered the portal, Chloe suddenly grabbed Ethan's arm.

"Hey, do you mind if I come visit you soon?" Chloe asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Of course not. You can come whenever you want."

"Great."

"Are you coming alone?"

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Who else am I supposed to come with?"

"Ah, no... I was just asking."

Chloe laughed afterwards. "I'm going to bring Miriam with me, do you want her to visit you?"

Ethan looked at his physique in the game; he looked more athletic, healthy and alive. If Miriam saw what Ethan looked like in the real world, it would be like taking off all the filters and masks Ethan had been wearing all this time. For some reason, Ethan felt insecure.

Ethan shook his head quickly. "No need. I'm still not comfortable meeting anyone but you, Chloe."