The day the party gathered before the entrao Kelsnim’s Invasion early in the m. They didn’t dare to dey, hurriedly talking to the soldiers to finish their quest before leaving with a transport cart.

  They would’ve liked to talk to Onrabell a bit longer but the first pyers whhem already appeared.

  “Ouuh…”

  Radiant Shield moaned, his body shaking form the bumpy ride, causing Liam to chuckle.

  “What? Long night?”

  “Yes. We celebrated in the dorm. By the way…

  Balm, Cye, I talked to Sun’s Knight. He would be ied in helping you mahe guild.”

  “Thanks. I’ll send him a friend request right away!”, answered Balm.

  Cye looked at her friend strangely:

  “Are you in a hurry? What got you so fired up?”

  “Let’s not talk about it now…”

  “Ok… well, while we’re at it I also met someone who wants to join us. She said she is a level 18 bard.”

  Immediately Liam’s eyes lit up:

  “A bard? Hey, you’re lucky even outside the game. Bards are quite rare.”

  “Are they strong?”, asked Cye doubtfully.

  “Alone? No. But with a rge number of allies around them…

  Let’s just say a guild might have too many mages but they will never have too many bards!”

  “Well, if you put it like this it seems I should hurry up to accept her.”

  “Definitely! You better do it right now.”

  Suddenly Silent Acacia let out a loud whistle:

  “Not bad!”

  “My friend, did you spot a geous female warrior?”, asked Radiant Shield, earning him an angry gre from Quickstep.

  Silent Acacia showed an embarrassed smile, waving his hands quickly:

  “No, no, what are you thinking about? I just checked out the quest rewards!”

  “ht, we almost fot!”, echoed Silver Bde. She opened her journal, notig the blinki.

  “Wow, SSS evaluation! Enough EXP to reach level 23! And a ce to choose two out of six pieces of equipment, with one guarao be of rare quality. Really, they didn’t hold back.”

  The party cheerfully choose their equipment, feeling the tury-old joy of numbers going up.

  Subsequently they versed some more, apanied by the peaceful noises of the forest, until they reached Duabalis Harbor.

  “Haha, marvel at my new shield! I am ready to ward ons and demons. Mirage, lead us into battle!”, procimed Radiant Shield excitedly.

  Liam ughed, watg the burly man stroll along the streets of the city:

  “Sorry but I have to disappoint you. We have busio do ba the novice vilge.”

  “Novice vilge? I assume we won’t find dragons there.”

  “Well…”

  Liam smiled mysteriously, holding back his words. The others curiously pressed him for an answer, but he kept his mouth shut deg not to spoil his friends.

  Ialiatiohers punished Liam by collectively ign him until they reached the novice vilge.

  Wheepped out of the teleportation ptform io, Cye excimed in amazement:

  “Wow, there are so many people here!”

  “Not surprising. I heard that a new wave of soles hit the market yesterday.”, expined Quickstep.

  Silent Acacia had naturally watched the same report, adding his two ts:

  “Those sole producers must be w overtime right now.”

  “Ha, but I’m sure they aren’t pining. Their profits are through the roof.”, said Radiant Shield, having discussed this with Sun’s Knight.

  “Right. Luckily the preparations were already in pd every p has the means to produce soles, or the gover might be hit with some riots.”

  “Really? I didn’t know. Who is produg the soles on Falva Star?”

  Liam only asked casually but was immediately met with multiple strange gazes.

  “What?”

  A few eyes moved. Liam followed them and stared at Silver Bde.

  “You? But isn’t your family in the stru industry?”, asked the young man incuriously.

  Silver Bde found the topiewhat embarrassing, but she didn’t want to leave Bleary Mirage hanging:

  “My family has many busiwo of them are here on Falva Star. One is Colville strus, which I am the CEO of, and the other is Colville City Military, which is in the hands of my uncle.

  Those two panies built and fortified most of the structures on Falva Star.

  But Colville City Military also has an additional purpose in manufacturing soles. However, we are not alone in this business. It is a cooperation of multiple panies uhe supervision of the army.”

  Liam was surprised to hear this.

  “So, you are sitting right at the source? This means if I have difficulties buying a sole some time, I just ask you?”

  “You say so…”

  Notig Silver Bde’s less thahusiastie, Liam felt quite awkward. Seeing him like this, Cye secretly sent a message:

  [Cye: Silver and her uncle are not on good terms. She doesn’t have much to say iher pany…]

  [Bleary Mirage: Oh… Did I put my foot in it?]

  [Cye: Don’t worry. With the success in the game, it’s already gettier. With your help it will only be a matter of time until Silva bees the family head!]

  Liam rolled his eyes realizing the high expectations Cye had for him. But he also didn’t deny her…

  Not wanting to ehe awkward atmosphere any longer Liam led his friends out of the vilge.

  They tracked through the jungle for a while, watg the eager new pyers fighting against rabbits and wolves.

  Twice they had to wait for Radiant Shield who ran off to py the hero, helping some newbies agaie monsters.

  Afterwards they were forced to speed up as the grateful pyers reized them and cmored for autographs and pictures, leading to more pyers being aware of their presence.

  Liam brought his friends, sprinting through the jungle. After a while they slowed dowo exhaustion. The terrain was gradually getting steeper, costing even the pyers with their increased attributes some effort to cross.

  But at least this showed that they got closer to the volo at the ter of the isnd. In this barren region there were a lot less pyers, or at least that was what Liam thought…

  Through the thinning foliage the party looked at a steep mountain with a few narrow paths. Surprisingly a long line of pyers climbed the mountain with determinatioched onto their faces.

  “What’s going on? Is there some event?”

  “I’m not sure.”, admitted Liam. “We will know whe there.”

  And so, the party joihe others in traveling the harsh path, amazed as even more pyers arrived from time to time.

  Braving the ever-increasihe party soon reached the top of the volo. Dark fumes floated towards the sky, ing from the boiling magma below. A bck, hot stone surrouhe mouth of the volo. The entire se made it clear that this was not a pce weling life.

  A a siderable crowd had formed on top of the volo, surrounding a strange formation made of sharp red and bck crystals, t high into the air.

  the situation, Liam finally uood what was going on. He sighed as he brought his friends to push through the crowd.

  “It was worth it ing here!”

  “Just one look is enough to heal my broke.”

  “Really, ever sipot cleared the first dungeon we were forced to walk so far! If I ever get them in my hands I will…”

  At this moment the pyer who just spoke felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and his face paled instantly.

  “Mi… Mirage, what are you doing here? Haha, I’m ygest fan. Just say the word and I will work myself to the bones for you!”

  Liam suppressed his amusement watg the pyer and simply answered with a polite smile:

  “o work for me. I would already be thankful if you let us through.”

  “Us?”

  The pyer leaned slightly to the side.

  “Oh, it’s Silver Bde, and, and Cye… and…”

  The pyer stopped talking, awkwardly stepping to the side with a strained smile on his face.

  Liam didn’t take it to heart. He took the st few steps, finally reag the front of the crowd.

  He found the angelic figure showing her back to the crowd. All the pyers kept a respectful distance from her, admiring Her Holiness Lewriova from afar.

  Liam blended out the otion caused by him ceously approag the mighty nephilim. Wheopped o her, Lewriova obviously reized the party:

  “Adventurers! You are back! I heard of your feat. Let me offer you my thanks in the name of all nephilim for thwarting Kelsnim’s pns!”

  “We only did our duty, your holiness.”

  “It pleases me to hear this. But I’m sure you had a reason for ing here, don’t you?”

  “Yes. We found a special artifa Kelsnim’s fortress.”

  The party noticed a few curious gazes from the crowd. They frowrying to block the line of sight with their bodies. Silent Acacia sent a message in the party chat:

  [Silent Acacia: Mirage, some of them might be rec. They could sell this information.]

  [Bleary Mirage: Well, there is not much we do. Furthermore, this information might do others more harm than good. They would have to rack their brains, trying to find the pass.]

  [Silent Acacia: I hope you’re right…]