“Tell it to me again,” Master Tentazui groaned. “There was a what in the nightmare?”

  “A Devourer Core,” I stated, holding Screech as he slept. “But it was only Two-Star.”

  “And, despite what I so clearly told you during my lectures, you didn't even think to run away?”

  “We couldn’t just leave everyone behind,” I snapped. “There were a lot of injured civilians.”

  “Getting taken by a Core is much, much worse than death.” Master Tentazui rubbed his face, continuing down the street. “Alright. Points for bravery, I guess.” He clapped me and Sip on the back. “You did good.”

  “All he did was loot the other buildings,” Ardenidi growled.

  “Oh it’s fine,” he waved the thought away. As he stepped, bricks rose from the pressed ash, pressing against his and our party’s feet. “We’ll have to give Ardenidi and your party some awards.”

  “And Sharon.”

  The Master squinted at the fairy who was currently sitting on the roof of a summoned house, in a lawn chair, sipping lemonade.

  Sharon glared. “What’s with that look? You’re welcome.”

  “Well, if your fairy hasn’t been infected yet, he’s either immune or too strong to bother,” Master Tentazui grunted. “So…good work.”

  “Gimme some gold, mortal.”

  Master Tentazui let out another groan. “Grind, I hope you realize we’ll have to talk about…”

  He gestured toward the fairy, then to the smoldering pit of molten rock stretching past the horizon.

  “...all that.”

  “I’m immortal, by the way,” I stated.

  “Really?” Master Tentazui clasped his hands, raising up buildings on either side of the street. “I figured something was going on. You’re too competent.”

  {Tentazui}

  [Gold]

  [24m Hp 33m Str]

  Master Tentazui motioned us to continue after him.

  “Go on,” he said. “You have a million questions, don’t you?”

  “Is Kizota dead?” Sip asked.

  “Yes.” Master Tentazui sighed. “It wasn’t a pretty sight. The part about her dying in one strike was also true, though we still don’t know how. None of the cultists we met had anywhere near that level of strength.”

  I perked up. “Cultists?”

  “Believe it or not, the peacekeepers appear to be responsible,” Master Tentazui grunted. “They used to be a sect of pacifists, but according to the reports we’ve got, ever since a certain big ten player joined the organization, the group has been devolving into madness.” Master Tentazui pressed his fingers against a cold metal plate lodged into his shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong, they were strong, so clearly they have backing from powerful people, hence our absence. Xoiae nearly died.”

  Everyone staggered. Ardenidi, who had only half been paying attention, nearly fell to the floor.

  “Headmast Xoiae?” Soise whispered.

  Toya’s eyes widened.

  “You think the monsters you fought here were bad?” Tentazui laughed. “Just be glad the Union keeps them away from this area. Every other city in the second area was wiped off the face of the earth.”

  Soise clamped a hand over her mouth. “Those people…”

  Toya ruffled his robes, struggling to hide the shaking in his hands. “How is this even possible? We told you the Core was Two-Star, right? You said those cores are only as strong as coppers.”

  “They are,” Master Tentazui sighed. “Like I said, a big ten player is behind this. The monsters are titled “high osmium” because the disease comes from the fifth area.” He clasped his hands, rising a red building from the ashes with a howl of mental energy, inadvertently skewing the frame in a surge of frustration. Master Tentazui was forced to take a deep breath and fix it.

  That gave him time to think. “None of you understand what this means, do you?”

  “Some scary guy?” Catania mumbled, nudging Toya. “What’s a big ten?”

  “How should I know?” He hissed.

  “The player behind this…” Master Tentazui addressed the ruined landscape ahead of us. “Is one of the ten most powerful players in the world. Grind, your record shows you spawned in the first area about the time of their departure.”

  Everyone turned toward me.

  I blinked. “Yeah, a lot of strong people were heading to the fifth area to do something.”

  “Ten people have been in the fifth area.” Master Tentazui crossed his arms. “We haven’t heard back from them yet, which is to be expected. Just know this, the difference between you six and a fifth area player is the difference between a speck of dust and the universe. A single step…” He chose his words carefully. “No, that’s not putting anything into perspective. Grind, did you get to talk to any of them?”

  “Asiel and Brom,” I said, thinking way back. “Why?”

  Someone gasped behind me.

  Toya was pale. “Grind, Asiel brought Kizota to the second area, didn’t she?”

  Catania grunted. “I’d hate to break the news.”

  Master Tentazui ignored their reactions, focusing intently on me. “Did they tell you why they gathered in the first area?”

  I shrugged.

  He stroked his gray beard, steading himself. “I’ll tell you. Because each of those players are so strong that, if the ten of them gathered anywhere else in the world, the entire region would be reduced to a plane of bare earth and plasma. It’s a mercy the first area is as suppressing as it is.” He clasped his hands again. “You’re lucky to be alive. Even a few hours of their presence must have warped the balance of the area. I imagine dungeons were harder than usual?”

  I nodded. “The area’s difficulty adjusts to the power of players?”

  “Something like that,” the Master said. “It’s to stop us in the second area from using fourth area fighters to solve all our problems. If they came over, this region would be almost as difficult as the third area, and everyone else would certainly die.” Now that his nerves had settled, he picked up our pace, summoned the street and buildings along it. “Now, this does come with good news. If the cultists could afford it, they’d send players from higher areas here to destabilize the monster population. Since they didn’t, we can only assume their numbers are spread far thinner than they would appear.”

  Which meant there were plenty of other cultists in the next few areas.

  My shoulders sagged. “That’s a hollow comfort.”

  “So…the monsters were freakishly strong because…?”

  “The infection makes them stronger like a multiplier. Stronger enemies get stronger, but they won’t drop additional stats because it’s a fake strength.”

  Catania spoke abruptly. “This is probably a stupid question, but…are the tournaments still going on?”

  Tentazui shrugged. “That’s Xoiae’s call, I’m afraid. Whether they continue depends how much danger we’re currently in. If war is coming, we’ll need our strongest fighters.”

  “And if the war is over?”

  “Then we need a boost in morale. In that case, the Tournament of Champions would help. Any other questions?”

  Slowly but surely, everyone looked to Sip.

  He cleared his throat. “So…are we getting paid for this?”

  “Of course!” Master Tentazui laughed. “You didn’t expect your bravery to go unrewarded, did you?”

  “Uh…uhm…nooo? No.” Sip rubbed his hands together. “How much?”

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “One billion Qualms each.”

  Everyone gasped out loud.

  “Minus the cost of those potions you used.”

  Everyone shut up.

  Master Tentazui did the math on his fingers. “I’d assume their total came out to…well let’s just round down and say eleven billion. But we’ll be nice and cut the debt.”

  “What?!” Ardenidi shouted, storming toward him, Catania holding her back. “Sip, that number’s way off! Isn’t it?!”

  Sip swallowed.

  Ardenidi blinked.

  “We used a lot more than eleven billion, didn’t we?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Ah.”

  Master Tentazui tapped his foot, sweeping chunks of cooled magma into piles on the side. “I hate to take away your earnings, but the shop owners are going to be furious.”

  “Who cares?” Sip mumbled. “They’re all dead anyway.”

  Everyone glared at him.

  “What?” He asked. “Can’t we say harsh but factually accurate statements without public oppression? Geez.”

  Master Tentazui relaxed, cracking a smile. “Tell me, how strong am I?”

  Everyone blinked.

  “Eh?”

  “How strong am I?” he asked again. “Relative to my rank as a Gold.”

  My gaze flickered to the crumpled mountain in the distance. “Really strong? In terms of a ratio of total power to output of power, I’d guess the top ten percent of golds.”

  “Try top one percent,” Master Tentazui stated. “Across all ranks, I'm in the top twenty percent. Now, Grind, go fix the rest of the broken buildings on this street, would you?”

  I handed Screech to a flustered Sip, raising my hands and aiming toward the nearest piles of rubble.

  Toya nudged Catania. “What does this have to do with anything?”

  “How should I know?” She grunted.

  My head rang like a bell as fifteen identical houses rose from the ashes.

  “Woo,” I huffed, clutching my knees. “Is that good?”

  “Good enough,” the Master nodded. “I’m willing to bet you’re in the bottom eighty percent for your rank, though you lack formal silver training. Now, tell me, do you know who has the second highest stats to power ratio in the entirety of the second area?”

  I shook my head.

  “Xoiae.”

  He smiled. “This is the second area. If you can imagine something there’s a good chance you can make it happen. So please, don’t underestimate your Headmaster.”

  The ground shook violently.

  And then, from the packed ash, people formed, sparking with mental energy like exploding stars.

  The corpse yawned, regenerating muscle and bone. His shirt wove back together, along with his pants.

  The man picked his nose, shooting us a glare.

  “What’re you looking at?”

  “It’s their first time seeing a revival,” Master Tentazui stated. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

  “Whatever.” His gaze locked onto the sides of the street. “Ugh. Stupid cleaners. That ain’t nothing like my house.” He grumbled all the way to the door, using mental energy to pick the lock and let himself in.

  None of our party dared to move.

  Tentazui brushed the dirt from his hands. “As long as the Union has records of your appearance and the skill to pull off both a summoning and healing at the same time, your body can be restored. The game will let a player be revived up to a week after they die, so players bring corpses to the second area all the time. Beyond that point, the player’s body will decay and the revive won't work right. Also, while players drop their inventory on death, Qualms are intentionally part of a separate system, so people won’t lose the bulk of their savings.”

  He gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Considering the rate you’ve been progressing I expect a lot of this in your future.”

  Even as he spoke an additional wave of corpses rose, complaining about the loss of furniture in equal regards to their loss of gear.

  My party was still in shock.

  Master Tentazui glanced at us.

  “Here, death is merely an inconvenience. I know this probably isn’t what you wanted to hear, considering the work you put in, but it’s important. Take it in.”

  Master Tentazui waited another second.

  Finally, he waved a hand over our blank eyes.

  “Hello?” He smirked. “That must’ve been quite a surprise.”

  “They’re alive?” Soise whispered.

  “Yes. Not clones or recreations of players,” Master Tentazui stated. “We’ve already done extensive research on the matter.”

  Soise sank to the ground in relief, steadied by Sip.

  “Maybe we should get some rest,” Sip stated, getting Soise’s arm slung over his shoulder. Screech jostled in his arms. “It’s been a long day.”

  Soise wiped her face. “I’m fine now. Are you okay?”

  By the time I snapped out of my shock, the group was dispersing.

  Adrenaline exploded in my veins, sharpening my senses like a razor’s edge.

  This was it.

  My heart clenched.

  I turned slowly to Ardenidi.

  “Hey do you want to get some ice cream or something?”

  “Oh uh yeah alright,” she said, a little taken back. “Where?”

  Sip perked up. “You know, that’s not a bad idea, we don’t we all stop by one of—”

  Soise grabbed him in a headlock. “You’re going to the hospital!” She handed Screech to Toya. “Could you look after him?”

  Sip choked. “B-But But BUT BUT I DON’T WANT TO!—”

  She dragged him down the street as he flailed in protest.

  Toya held the child far from his face, like a loaded diaper. “I’d really rather have ice cream—”

  Catania cleared her throat. “You two have fun. I’ve got. Er. Homework.”

  Toya squinted. “Oh.” He gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Hey. You’re a good guy. You got this. Just be yourself. But, you know, better, obviously.”

  Master Tentazui had left to check on Sip, leaving Ardenidi and I alone in the street.

  “So,” I bobbed on my heels. “Is anywhere even open?”

  …

  After scouring the entire city, only a handful of restaurants had already opened. There weren’t any dedicated ice cream parlors, but one sandwich shop had a couple deserts, and it didn’t look too expensive.

  We got our food and sat down in silence.

  Long, awkward silence.

  “I can’t believe…” Ardenidi blurted, kicking the floor. “What was the point?!”

  I looked up from my vanilla sundae.

  “Sorry,” she grumbled. “It’s just…we tried so hard to beat that nightmare, and we worked so hard to free those people, and then…then…!” She took a shot of chocolate shake. “Headmaster Xoiae just resurrects the entire area!”

  “Not all at once,” I said.

  “Not helping,” she snapped back, glaring for a moment, before her cheeks flushed red. “Sorry.” She adjusted her scarf over her face. “I’m not trying to be rude, I’m just frustrated, that’s all. We’re not even getting money for this.”

  “Master Tentazui said we’re getting medals and some stats.”

  “Yeah…” Ardenidi sighed. “Yeah I guess that’s alright. Sorry, I’ll try and focus on the date.”

  “What’s there to focus on?” I asked. “All I want is to spend some quality time. I’d much rather talk about your frustration than to repeat surface-level conversations.”

  “Uhm…uh…yeah…” she was flushing red again. “Sorry—I—” Ardenidi grabbed her head. “I’ve never been on a date before. Is this awkward? Am I being awkward?”

  “I dunno. It’s my first date too.”

  Well.

  Was that really true?

  I had a dance with Mall one time in the first area, but that night ended…poorly.

  Besides, it wasn’t really a date, was it?

  Ardenidi took a deep breath. She scratched under her scarf. “So. Uh…got a favorite color?”

  …

  I returned to my newly refurbished apartment sometime late in the night, bashing my head on a cupboard I didn’t remember.

  I exhaled sharply, plopping down on the couch. A blue plush couch, replacing the leather couch I’d had before.

  This was going to take some getting used to.

  The lights flicked on.

  Sharon looked up from his book, raising an eyebrow.

  “So.”

  I blinked. “So?”

  “So.” He clasped his hands. “Nice choice.”

  “Yeah?” I nodded slowly. “Thanks.”

  Sharon cleared his throat. “You know, a thousand years ago I used to be something of a ladies man.”

  I nodded, brushing my hands on our new bookshelves. “Uh-huh.”

  He brushed his shoulders and white hair. “You have proven yourself worthy, respectable mortal. I believe it’s time you learned the ancient fairy knowledge I hold so dear.”

  That got my attention. “You really don’t have to—”

  “Dating advice!”

  I blinked.

  “You really don’t have to.”

  Sharon wrapped a wing around me, gesturing to the stars out the window. “You’ll fly far and fast, my mortal student!”

  I rolled my eyes, wrapping blankets over my face.

  “It’s too late to deal with this.”

  “Grind?”

  “Grind?”

  He poked my shoulder.

  “Are you asleep? Okay. Okay. We can talk in the morning.”

  // {Notice} //

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