Several eyes followed two girls and their pet as they walked the streets of Kerta. They made for a nice contrast between their choice of clothing. On the one hand, the wisben looked royal in her white and gold cloth armor. The other , dressed in an armless black top that hugged her massive breasts , had a rough, slutty edge to her.

"Hello cupcake," some guy cooed, blocking their path. "How's about I give you some nice armor and quick XP eh?"

Kashi stared at the buffoon. There were no words in existence to describe the disgust and anger he felt. Rather than punch the id io t's smug face in to a paste, Kashi opted to ignore him. "I'm busy," the daeben said, and then brushed past.

Unfortunately, Loverboy failed to take the hint. He grabbed Kashi’s arm. "Now, now, don't play hard to get. Life's too short for games."

 Hey, he’s trying his best. Don’t ignore him.

Kashi ignored K ira , who was struggling to hold back her amusement. Kashi shrugged off the man’s grip . " On the contrary, some people’s lives can be annoyingly long. Now, leave me alone."

"Then we've got all the time in the world, don't we?"

He sure was persistent. How did girls deal with guys like these all year long? Less than a minute and Kashi already wanted to break the guy's neck.

Fortunately, Leila chose to rescue him then. She whispered into the flirt's ears, and he whitened. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared from sight.

"What did you say to him?" Kashi asked.

"Nothing really," Leila replied. Her expressionless face left no clues as to her real thoughts. "Rather, you should hurry up. You did say you've only got a few minutes left."

Kashi nodded , and then t hey jogged to the Archery training center . As always, the strange trinity was sat around the table . Kashi looked around and then muttered, "Glad to see nothing's changed here."

Serti raised a brow and examined the unfamiliar female . "I do not think we've met?"

"You do not recognize him?" Bert cracked open an eye and shot the daeben a look filled with amusement.

Serti frowned. "Him?"

Bert, no one to beat around the bush, revealed the truth. "That's Kashi."

"Huh?!" Serti whirled around and stared at the ladies.

A lone sweat dripped down Kashi's face as he waved. "Hi?"

Serti gaped, then burst out laughing. "That damned wizard did this to you, didn't he?" Surprisingly, he took the information well in stride. As if nothing was wrong, h e walked over to the daeben and held out his hand. "Welcome back, kid."

Kashi took Serti’s hand in a firm handshake. "I'm back." He was pulled into a hug, with the wisben patting his back rather vigorously.

“And of course, who dares forget little Ki—” Serti paused and looked at the direwolf. Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled. “Well, I suppose we can’t call you little anymore.” With those words, he patted Kira and then took his seat with Kashi and Leila.

"Heard about your exploits down south. That was really impressive," Yugo praised as he served them with his famous tea.

"You know about that?" Kashi asked as he took a sip. ‘ Damn, this is some good tea. Got to get the recipe .’

"Of course," Serti boasted. "Our network's one of the best."

Kashi frowned . T his was not good news. If everyone knew about it, he could get into big trouble. "Do you suppose the mayor knows?"

Yugo patted his back as he too sat down. "Don't worry, the fishermen have very tight lips. The only reason we found out is that we already have a mini-base of sorts at Lew Creek."

Kashi heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. It would be detrimental for this news to reach Absalon's ears."

"You've got something planned?" Serti asked. "Anything we can do to help?"

The daeben savored the drink's aroma as he thought on it. "Do you happen to have a map of Riven on you?"

Bert smiled. "I thought you would need this," he said as he retrieved a set of maps in a case next to him. He spread them across the table .

Kashi carefully examined the map.

The map revealed Riven to be split into three parts, each section protected by a larger wall. The royal palace was the last with its back to the impossible cliff. Its outermost edges were also impossible to breach as they too hugged cliff drops.

Most would consider building a city right on the edge of a cliff was a daft risk. If there was excess weight, the cliff could very well crumble into the river, killing hundreds or even thousands. However, it seemed these architects were quite confident in the mountain's strength.

This was neither a fluke nor madness. The reason for the peculiar placement became clear once one chose to invade. There was only one viable attacking option: the main gates. To make matters worse, invading armies would have to fight an uphill battle. In terms of security, this was undoubtedly a masterpiece.

Kashi looked up from the map. "Do you know why it is claimed the walls cannot be scaled?"

"The walls were impossibly made with a single stone," Serti explained. "They are so smooth, there are no crevices to climb. The rocks below the wall are slippery from moss and rain. Even the most skilled climbers find it far too dangerous."

"Are there no equipment one can latch onto the walls with? Like a ballista or something?"

"None that you can fit on a ship . Besides, with its height, the projectiles would lose velocity before reaching the wall."

Kashi nodded. So... well within his expectations. The gears in his head began turning, putting finishing touches on a freshly conjured plan . "Do you mind if I take these with me?"

Bert nodded. "You may do with those as you wish. You are part of our brotherhood, remember?" He turned to Leila, who was preoccupied with petting Kira. "...As are you, Leila Lightwood."

Leila looked up to the fox, surprised. "...Thanks."

Kashi finished the contents of his cup then got to his feet. "I would love to stay longer, but I am afraid my time is up. The illusion spell does not last long."

"We understand," Bert said. "Take care, and may Aethir guide your path."

"As she does yours," Kashi replied. He turned to the huntress. "Can you join me outside? I have a favor to ask."

Leila frowned but followed nonetheless after saying goodbye to the men.

A ghost of a smile formed on Bert's face at their retreating figure. The boy had grown faster than he had expected. Maybe... just maybe, they could finally be released.

"What's the matter?" Leila asked once they were outside the city gates. It could not be sooner because both Kashi and Kira reverted to their original forms.

Kashi scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I kind of need some help for this plan, and I think you would be a perfect fit."

Leila stared at the daeben . "You have no one else to ask, do you?"

Kashi laughed nervously. "Well, yes and No. I have a couple of players who might go with me, but I need someone with your skills. None of them come close to you."

"Flattery? That is... surprising."

Kashi shrugged. "That wasn't flattery. Just the truth."

"Sure. Technically, you're my superior now."

Kashi smiled, pleased by her answer. "Thanks. One last stop before we head to Ranad."

They walked over to the grand stable where a burly human was checking on his magnificent beasts.

"Excuse me?" Kashi called.

The stablehand turned around, cleaning his muddy hands with a piece of cloth. "Name's Fared. You looking to buy some horses?" He had a no-nonsense tone, and the d aeben instantly knew that any sort of flattery would be received negatively.

"I am called Kashi. The lovely lady by my side is Leila, and our pet ’s Kira" Kashi introduced, as they shook hands.

 Pet? Who are you calling a pet?

Kashi ignored Kira. "As you guessed, I wish to purchase a fine stallion."

Fared shrugged. "Too late, kid. All'a them's already been requisitioned by the mayor for the upcoming battle."

"Surely, you have some left? ” Kashi persuaded with pleading eyes. “ The journey ahead of us is fraught with tough terrain. We require mounts as magnificent as yours."

 What terrible acting. I want to throw up.

‘Can it!’ Kashi hid the harsh rebuke behind a smile.

Fared eyed Kashi and Leila. "Do either of you have any experience on horseback?"

Razznik had considerable experience, so in turn, Suzuki had learned too. As a result, Kashi might not have the bonus that comes with the system’s riding skills, but he knew how to ride a horse. It was like how some people entered the game with prior knowledge on how to fight. Initially, they might not have the stats to boost their attacks, but their fighting ability still gave them an edge over the untrained .

“Yes, I have some experience,” confirmed Kashi.

"As do I," Leila seconded.

The stable hand grunted but then motioned for them to follow him. "We have four left, but they are too expensive," he advised as they stopped at the rear of the stable. Like he said, there were four horses left, each majestic in their own right.

Leila was enchanted by the first: a pure white mare with twin red streaks along its abdomen. She petted its head, smiling softly as the horse nudged her.

"Looks like she's taken a liking to you," Fared commented as he opened the mare's stall. "Her name's Sapphire. Like the other three, she is but a year old." He led them to a small corral where he outfitted the horse for riding. Then he handed the reins to Leila. "Why don't you take her for a test run. See if she fits."

"Thanks," Leila said as she took the reins.

"You need any help wi-" Fared watched as Leila deftly hopped onto Sapphire's back. "I guess not." He turned to address the d aeben, but then found he was nowhere in sight. "Sir?" Fared searched the stable but found no signs of Kashi . Then he heard terrifying neighing from a barn a couple dozen yards away . "Oh, sweet M era, no."

Fared ran like a man possessed past the corral, drawing a curious glance from Leila. He rounded a corner to a separate barn built for one special horse. The doors were open, meaning the d aeben must have gone in through there.

Fared hesitated . Furrowed brows and a pale face belied his fear. "D -Dr ixlia?" he called as he took measured steps through the barn.

"Watch out!" a voice cried.

Clop! Clop!

Fared rolled out of the way as a stallion dark as night with blood-red eyes burst pas t and out the barn. "No..." he muttered as he picked himself up and gave chase.

Just as Fared guessed, Kashi sat atop Drixlia struggling to hang on for dear life. To make matters worse, he had no reins, so he gripped the horse's wild mane instead. The fearsome beast bucked wildly and threw him off. He rolled out of the way as it attempted to stomp his face in, then to his feet.

Kashi squared off against the beast as they eyed each other. The daeben’s lips parted, exposing a dangerous smirk. "Bring it."

With a blood-chilling neigh, Drixlia chased Kashi down. Kashi ran towards the coral, but, surprisingly, the stallion easily kept up with him. Kashi kicked against the fence and performed a backflip right onto Drixlia's back.

The stallion was not pleased. It bucked even worse. When the daeben refused to fall off, it switched tactics. Drixlia ran at full speed, then braked sharply. Kashi was nearly tossed clean off, but he quickly used the horse's legs as a brace.

Drixlia and Kashi’s joust continued for hours, with neither giving way to the other.

Leila reined Sapphire towards Fared. "She is a magnificent horse."

"Huh?" Fared mumbled, distracted by the battle of wills. "Oh, yes, yes, she is. One of my very best. It would have been a shame to let her die needlessly in battle." He wiped beads of sweat from his forehead as he looked at the battle . "Is your friend a mad man? Most would have given up by now." The last thing Fared wanted was some kid getting killed in his stable. Bad for business.

"He just might be," Leila mused as Kira sat down next to her .

Eventually, Kashi and Drixlia began to show signs of fatigue . It wasn't clear which happened first, but ultimately, Kashi fell off Drixlia’s back as the stallion dropped to the earth.

Sore all over his body, Kashi gazed at the beast and grinned. "You're quite the stubborn one."

Drixlia struggled to its feet and glared at Kashi . It raised its hoof as if to smash his head in, but Kashi just watched. Instead, it snorted and put its foot down. It then tapped Kashi with its head , grunted, and trotted back to its stable.

"Well, I'll be." Fared whistled as he walked up to the daeben . "That's acceptance if I ever did see one." He helped Kashi to his feet and patted the daeben’s back. "That was impressive."

"It was nothing," Kashi dusted himself off and then glanced at the stable. "He is an impressive beast. You called him Drixlia?"

"Yes. He was named after the king of centaurs."

"I see. ” Kashi smiled. “ A most impressive name. How much is he?"

Fared scratched the back of his head. "Technically, he's not for sale. No one wanted him, so we've considering putting him down or letting him go."

"Then, this is convenient. ” Kashi clapped his hands. Where else would he find such a perfect deal? “ You want to get rid of him, and I want him. Fairtrade."

Fared shrugged. "Your funeral."

With Drixlia’s business completed, Kashi pointed at Sapphire. "How much for her?"

"Twenty thousand Syros. I doubt you have tha-"

"Here," Kashi said, as he handed the stablehand a purse of coins. "That should take care of it."

Fared gaped as he checked the contents. Sure enough, it was filled with precisely twenty thousand. How could one man have so much money? But it was not his place to ask such questions. "Why don't you spend the night at my home? I'll have your mounts ready by morn."

"Many thanks," Kashi said. "But I think I shall spend the night in the barn."

"I understand," Fared accepted. He returned Sapphire to its stable, and then led Leila to his guest room.

Kashi walked to the barn, then lay down on some hay. He watched as Kira walked up to Drixlia. He could tell they were conversing about him from the way they kept glancing in his direction. A vein popped in his forehead when they started outright laughing. Well, what qualified as laughter for a horse and wolf.

"Something funny?"

 No, of course not. Why? You feeling left out ?

Kashi grumbled as he shut his eyes, willing himself to sleep.

Early the next morning, Fared waved goodbye to the company. He still could not believe someone had tamed that beast. More so, Kashi had gone on to ride bareback, because Drixlia absolutely refused to be reined.

Meh, what did Fared care. He was twenty thousand Syros richer and had gotten rid of a troublesome horse. It was a good day.

Ranad

"Kashi-dono! Kashi-dono has returned!" cried a sentry upon spotting the trio galloping towards the town. Ranad had changed since Kashi left. It now had a wooden perimeter, built with some of the recovered money. They even had a gate !

"What?!" "Where?" screamed the villagers as they ran towards the gate. Loud cheering greeted the daeben and his companions as they rode into the town.

Leila's eyes widened at the fanfare. "What did you do for them?"

"A little bit of this, and a little bit of that," replied Kashi . He chuckled as he waved at the excited populace.

 A little scam here and there. Nothing too big.

Kira’s sarcasm reverberated in Kashi’s head. The daeben glared at his companion, but Kira responded with a flat stare. Realizing he stood no chance, Kashi kept silent until they reached his home.

Kashi tied Drixlia to a post and then turned to Leila . "It's open. Can you wait a while? I have to see someone about an old quest."

Leila, meanwhile, looked at the building with disbelief in her eyes. "This. This is yours? You have a house of your own?" 99% of the player population lived in rented apartments or inns. Who had enough spare funds to have a personal home?

Apparently, this daeben did. Or that was what Leila thought until Kashi clarified.

Kashi shrugged. "It was a reward. I haven't renovated it yet."

Leila wanted to say something, but could not find the words. Instead, she gave up and then walked into the building.

Kashi suppressed a laugh as he and Kira walked to the greenhouse. On his way there, he could help but notice the town's improvements. The buildings were fully restored - the temple, more so than most. They also had working general shops and a blacksmith. However, it was kind of embarrassing seeing people bowing before the statue he made.

At the greenhouse, Kashi found the wisben, Cera hunched over a bed of budding plants. She jotted down notes onto a pad with frightening speed. The d aeben coughed to draw her attention.

He soon regretted it.

Startled by the sound, Cera shrieked a nd then flung her notepad in the air as she jumped bac k . She banged her head against a shelf, causing a potted plant to fall off. Luckily, Cera managed to catch the plant before it hi t the floor . With the danger passed, she heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Kashi winced. "Sorry about that."

"Who?" Cera asked as she adjusted her glasses . She placed the pot back on the shelf , and then exclaimed as she recognized the daeben, "Ah! I remember you. Cash right? That was fast. Wasn't it three days ago you left?"

Kashi smiled as he shook his head. "No. It's been over a week to the day. ” Researchers really did lose track of time, it seemed. “ I have the items you asked for."

Cera’s eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh? You do, do you !? Good, good ! Hand them over !"

Kashi took out the jars containing the Geruk tongues and galls and handed them to her.

"Excellent, excellent, excellent," Cera mumbled, as she quickly examined the items. "Th e s e 'll do just fine. Return in a week. I should have finished my research by then." She was already heading to the backroom, and the daeben knew he would get nothing more from her until she was done.

Kira looked toward the backroom with furrowed brows.

 She is creepy.

"Come on now, that's mean."

Kira snorted as they made their way back to his home .

 Don't pretend like you don't feel the same.

"Well, she is a little bit strange," Kashi eventually agreed.

 Oh? It seems everyone’s here.

“Hm?” Kashi was shocked to find Lunette, Stryke, Hektor, and the rest of the gang in front of his home. The ir eyes lit up when they saw him approaching.

"You're back!" Stryke shouted. His eyes shone with excitement. "So? What class did you get? What bosses did you fight? Were they tough? Where'd you get the cool mount ? Whe—mmm !" Sara clamped her hand over his mouth, shutting him up.

"S-sorry about that," Sara stammered.

"It's fine," Kashi said. "To answer your questions. I'm a n Artist . I fought many bosses, but the hardest was an octopus man called Nerkak. And I got Drix lia from Kerta's stables."

Artist?

Kashi read the disappointment in their expressions. He knew they expected him to return with some epic-sounding battle class. Kashi could have set them straight – told them that he was actually a Dimension Artist and that it came with cool battle bonuses.

But he was too lazy.

It was much easier to prove the class’s strength in combat .

"Ah, sorry about that," Stryke mumbled.

Kashi laughed as he patted the boy's head. "Don't worry about it." He then looked up at Leila and introduced her to the rest of the group. After introductions were completed, Kashi led the group into his living room to continue their discussion.

No one commented on the grand haul he'd left sitting around.

"So, I think it's time you revealed this plan of yours," Leila said when the small talk died down.

Kashi grinned mischievously but shook his head. "Not yet. Will reveal it when we get to Norcha."

"Norcha? We're going back there?" Lune asked, displeased at the prospect of returning to the swamp.

"Yeah. The next phase will start from there."

"Okay then," Shadow said. "When do we leave?"

"In two days. I have some things to take care of here." Kashi glanced at Hektor, who seemed much more comfortable around the group . "How's the dungeon hunting been going?"

This question set off Stryke . The young man narrated how each of them had leveled up easily with reliable damage dealers like Hektor and Shadow upfront. His stories continued, with Hektor or Shadow chipping in whenever he missed out on something.

Kashi listened, pleased by the outcome. His gamble had paid off. The one thing Hektor lacked was cohesiveness in a unit. And it seemed Stryke had helped him get used to precisely that . When Stryke was done chatting, Kashi asked, "Which of you would like to join my guild?"

“Me!” Hektor instantly nodded.

Kashi realized Hektor must have really meant it when he said he would be sticking with Kashi .

Stryke convinced his crew to join, which left only Shadow and Lune tte .

Kashi noticed distress in Lunette’s eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he assured her.

"N-no. It's not that." Lunette turned to her brother with pleading eyes.

Shadow shrugged . "If you want to, then do it."

Biting her lower lip, Lunette fought off her hesitation and then furiously nodded.

Kashi's gaze narrowed . He wondered what bothered Lunette so much but ultimately chose not to press the issue. Instead, h e jotted the ir names down in his guild handbook, and then, shortly after, they all accepted the notifications they received. "Okay, then. Welcome to the Hopeful Maggots."

"Mag-!" Stryke fell over, clutching his sides in laughter. "Ahahaha! Hopeful Maggots! How the heck did you come up with that? Oh, I can see our enemies now." He put on his best-frightened expression. "Help! Help! The M-m-maggots are chasing u- hahaha!"

Kashi looked away, mumbling under his breath. "Wasn't my fault. Was a mistake."

"I like it," Craig said. "Hopeful Maggots. Has a nice ring to it."

"Yeah," Stryke said, coughing. "If we want our enemies to die of laughter!"

"One more word," Sara threatened as she grabbed his collar.

"O-okay. I'm done."

With Stryke silenced, the group returned to discuss random topics and then decided to go dungeon hunting.

This time, Kashi, Kira and Leila joined them. The battles became infinitely smooth er, so they split up with Kashi, Kira, Hektor, Lune tte , and Shadow on one sid e, and Leila and Stryke's group on the other. Sometimes they rotated members to try different tactics. But at the end of the day, Leila and Kashi were nominated default leaders for each team.

Kashi stared at the items scattered in his living room. He could attempt to sell them, but he doubted the local shop s had enough gold to pay for all of them. Instead, he decided to take all the weapons and armor to the blacksmith's shop. Unlike Kerta, all the crafting classes available in Ranad except tailoring were handled in that shop alone. They were leatherworking, a rmory, and blacksmithing.

Kashi acquired permission to use the forge, then set about improving all the items. It took him an entire day to ultimately refine everything. When he was done, Kashi shared the desired weapons among his guildmates, sold as many as possible, and then donated the rest to the town for free. Ultimately, h e made a tidy profit of about eighty thousand Syros.

Kashi split the second day into two halves. For the first twelve hours, he practiced alchemy recipes with ingredients from the general store. Its skill rose to Level 4, where it began to stagnate. Kashi then spent the last twelve hours meditating, to improve [Ferulic’s Spirit] .

There was a fine line between meditation and sleeping, and Kashi nearly crossed that line several times. By the time Kashi was done, the skill had increased to level three , and his MP rose by 1,200.

The time to level up exponentially shot up with each level, but the increase in MP was invaluable.

On the third day, Kashi bought tons of the most durable ore the blacksmith had to offer. They could not all fit into his inventory, so he had to share them between his partners.

Satisfied with his preparations, Kashi waved goodbye to the villagers , and then he and his merry band of M aggots made their way to Norcha.