Feet rapidly hopped from stone to stone as the hissing of parting snakes nearly overtook the duo’s ears.

“Hurry, we are almost at the halfway point.”

“I’m keeping up just fine!”

Novus didn’t deny Adrianne’s words. After Novus recovered his health using a few health-regenerating forest plants, the two set off to quickly reach the ravine cave. Even so, they were only at the halfway marker based on the sight and sounds above them.

Adrianne’s glowing eyes were the first to see the midpoint landmark through the fog.

“The crossing bridge, huh? Wide enough for at least forty people.”

Above them loomed a grand bridge that easily crossed the ravine. Its wooden foundation deeply sunk into the ravine walls and relayed its sturdiness. The duo heard voices, no doubt from others who had found the bridge, but they were too far away to make out any of the words.

Novus looked up as he eventually sighed to himself.

I really need to condense more mana drops. I can’t even activate sight magic.

“Hey, heads up.”

Novus snapped out of his trance, unwilling to expose himself like with Lou, and avoided a rapidly descending figure.

Adrianne quickly looked away in horror as she realized what it was, but that did little to hide the haunting sound of the body hitting the ground.

Thud! Crunch!

The sickening sound was followed by twinkling lights that cleaned up any of the mess left behind. Novus witnessed everything as the player's body turned into fallen remains.

Players? What’s going on up there?

Novus avoided another falling player as Adrianne gathered the courage to analyze them.

“They’re dead before they hit the ground!”

What could cause all these players’ deaths?

Novus didn’t have time to think further as a resounding cry caught the duo’s attention.

“YOU BASTARDS! HOW COULD YOU!?”

A more instinctual cry was heard afterwards as if realizing the more immediate danger.

“AAHHHH!”

Novus avoided another falling player before sourcing the scream and dashing into action with a smirk.

The crimson ring along Novus’ back overlapped his foot as two more rings sprung like a spring and flung him into the air. Intercepting the screaming figure, Novus shook from the downwards momentum change but remained airborne when the rings beneath his feet turned into solid footsteps that eased his fall. However, the screaming figure was still flailing and screaming in Novus’ arms with their eyes closed.

“Hey! We aren’t falling anymore!”

Suddenly, the figure latched onto Novus like a log in the middle of a sea storm. Spit flew from their mouth as it stained Novus’ face with the screaming.

“AHHHH!!!”

A vein appeared on Novus’ forehead as he internally debated.

He wouldn’t die from this height, would he?

Novus repositioned the man in his arms to carry them easier; however, he ended up draping his arms around the man. The scene was reminiscent of a knight carrying a princess away from evil. However, the princess was a scrawny man, barely nineteen.

The scene didn’t miss Adrianne’s eyes as she shouted with intermixed laughter.

“I didn’t know you swung that way, Novus! This explains it all!”

Another vein appeared on Novus’ face.

The only thing I swing towards is beautiful female dragons!

Suddenly, an impish, swinging thought appeared that made Novus spin in the air with the help of the crimson rings. Before Adrianne could realize what he was doing, Novus sent the scrawny man flying towards her.

“AHHH!”

Thud!

Pfft.

“Hahaha!”

Novus laughed in schadenfreude at the lovely scene before him. The scrawny man and Adrianne had wrapped themselves in a precarious position that highlighted the blush on Adrianne’s beautiful face. The scrawny man looked on in stupidity at the beautiful person before him as both their eyes blinked rapidly. Finally, he stopped screaming.

“Beautiful…”

Puchi!

“GET OFF ME!”

Adrianne showed the scrawny man what it meant to fly with a slap, and he landed in the cold ravine waters. Then, Adrianne hid beneath her hood.

“Hahaha!”

Novus finally touched the ground, laughing and brushing away the small tears gathering at the brim of his eyes. In truth, he hadn’t laughed in a long time.

Novus helped up the drenched figure and welcomed him.

“Percival, meet Adrianne. Adrianne, meet Percival.”

Percival looked towards the distanced Adrianne with fear and curiosity. Then, nearing the end of his narration, Percival resumed facing Novus.

“…and that’s how I got thrown off the bridge. Calamity Devil’s Guild back at their ruthless antics again.”

Meanwhile, Novus had a thoughtful look on his face as he summarized.

So, Percival wanted to try his hand at defeating goblins but needed a party. So, he convinced his fellow dojomates and headed to the bridge leading to the goblin encampment. But, almost across the bridge, a group claimed the bridge as Calamity Devil Guild property. They try and force everyone off the bridge, and Percival remains the only one to hop off to survive. Though it sounds more like he got pushed off the bridge by that group from earlier…

What’s up with this guy? He runs into more trouble than I do.

“Listen, I’d love to go play with our new friends, but I have a hidden quest to finish. You’re welcome to accompany us on some conditions, but if you drag us down, then you may as well just leave now.”

A faint glimmer shone in Percival’s eyes at the mention of a hidden quest, and then it switched as Percival picked up on something else.

"Our? You met them?"

Novus chuckled and held up his previously injured arm.

"Little devils pierced an arrow through here and failed to do even more, but I still kicked them back to the church. I even got some equipment from them, though now it's... well, never mind that."

Percival looked dumbstruck at Novus, still trying to wrap around the idea that a nobody from nowhere had managed to kill a pro VRMMORPG player. Let alone the Guild Master's whole party!

"There's no way..."

Suddenly, a message popped up before Percival.

Novus would like to display his combat logs to you. Do you accept?

Of course, Percival accepted. He scrolled, scrolled, and stopped at one particular line.

...You have dealt lethal damage to the player Cain and have killed him. Warning!...

Percival slowly curled his head up at Novus with a new look in his eyes.

There’s that hunger for power again. At least it makes him easy to manipulate.

Percival inched closer to Novus, whispered, and peeked over his shoulder.

“Listen, Novus. I can call you Novus, right? Listen, I don’t mind a few conditions. Really, I would give just about anything to party with you right now. But, could you let that beauty over there know I come in peace?”

The two looked over just in time to catch Adrianne’s poisonous glare headed in their direction. As they both looked away, Novus made a smile that wasn’t really a smile.

“I can’t guarantee she won’t try and kill you.”

Before Percival could respond, Novus slapped his thigh and didn’t hesitate to lock in his words.

“Adrianne! Say hello to your newest party member!”

“They’re monsters….”

Percival’s eyes blinked in shock as Adrianne sliced through a snake at the same time that Novus beheaded one.

“She’s killing them at twice my speed.”

Percival slashed towards a snake already retreating and killed it with his long-reaching spear. He was supposed to have a reach advantage and a bronze-rank ability! They were supposed to make him the de facto number two of the party. However, the reality was unwelcoming, and his pride was being dragged along the ravine shore.

He felt like sighing but held it back with a more prominent concern.

“Where did the shards of light go? My spear shouldn’t be drawing blood. Is it a bug?”

Percival’s mumbled words went unheard as Adrianne mumbled her own thoughts.

“I went through so much, and he just lets some guy join in? Is he sexist? Is it another of his façades?”

Adrianne’s sword raced with a different speed as it pierced through the retreating snake in frustration.

Meanwhile, Novus was deeply entranced by, you guessed it, his own thoughts.

If Adrianne is a diamond in the rough, then Percival is an unrefined sapphire. He isn’t compatible with a spear, but his reaction speed is sharp, and without realizing it, his body is swirling the mana in the surroundings. He should have a talent related to mana; however, he hasn’t condensed any mana to utilize it. Nevertheless, his skills make him suitable for a magic-related class rather than a warrior-type class. All he needs is a little push in the right direction.

As for Adrianne…

“HA!”

Adrianne’s shout powered something inside her as three snakes were split with one sword slash. The exclamation seemed unnecessary to Novus, but he let it slide on account of Adrianne’s oddly angered presence.

…she has an overall high level of thrashing talent. It’s no wonder the Oblivion Goddess would have chosen her.

Novus made sure to give Adrianne lots of space as she fought off the gradually strengthening snakes.

Much later, the trio halted.

“Hey, idiots. I think I found the cave.”