Ashgara was a small kingdom on the outskirts of Krugia mountain range. It was also one of the starter kingdoms where immortals had appeared. Due to its high altitude, it contained many breathtaking views. At one such plateau, a city called Lemma was located.

In the guildhall of Lemma, Trino’s party members were mingling.

"I don't even know why I am playing this game,” Damien said and scrutinized the list of quests posted on the big wooden board hanging in the middle of the guildhall. He turned around with a gloomy expression and lamented, “In the first place, is it even a game? I have to work harder here than in real life. Games are supposed to be fun things, but these freaking NPCs seem to be exploiting us players' Immortality."

Losing some experience with just a little pain was too cheap in comparison to an NPC's life. But this was the thinking of the NPCs who posted the quest under the ‘Eligible for Immortals' section, not of the players.

"Then maybe you should try low-level quests." Una blunted a reply to Damien while stomping the butt of her spear on the ground in annoyance. The 5’ 8’’ tall girl in her mid-twenties was an NPC. She would rather let him be dead temporarily than be herself permanently.

"Hmm, I would do so." His barely audible voice with a sad face rendered the mood gloomy.

Una snorted in dejection, “I know that you are aware of the fact that natives(NPCs) have only one life compared to immortals (players), yet you are behaving in such a way.”

Like any other native of Ulteria who mingled with the immortals, Una also knew that immortals lived in another world. They -who called themselves players- could come and go whenever they wanted. The immortals also believed that the world she lived in was created by immortals with a specific class among them called developers.

Whether the immortals’ beliefs were true or not, Damien was like a child throwing a tantrum in front of her. Regardless of all this, she knew her party members cared for her much more than their own lives. That was why it had been almost six months, and Una had yet to find other adventurers to make a new party. She would not give up on them, even for an S-class adventurer’s company. Well, they had one, anyway.

While Una was berating Damien, the girl leaning on the counter beside them constantly observed Damien. She was garbed in red robes laced with thin flexibles vines.

“If Trino was here, he would’ve cheered you up,” Ghun interjected, saving Damien from Una’s constant barrage. He was dressed in attire with more pockets than a military soldier could have IRL. He was a native of Ulteria as well and couldn't comprehend the daily life of a player.

"Speaking of him, according to what you told me, it has already been a month. Wherever he is, he is taking too much time to return. Either he is on an S class quest or has left the party." Yu said, leaning on his meter tall shield. He was a newcomer to the party. It had only been a dozen or so days since he joined.

"Na ah! It's more like him, but I don't know why he is so obsessed with such dangerous quests. I get it he is an immortal, but why does he have to suffer?" Una voiced out every natives' thoughts towards Trino because the Players among them had already taken him as a leveling freak.

"It has nothing to do with danger. Trino likes to explore every one of-”

“I bet he would be whooping some monster's ass while we are sitting here in hopes to find a decent quest,” Damien said, cutting short whoever was speaking, with a colossal wrong guess at that. His tone was really a flute of gloom, every word he was speaking taking down the temperature by a few degrees.

“Oh-oh!”

“Oh, Shit!”

“Shit!”

Una, Ghun, and Yu all exclaimed simultaneously. No! It wasn’t his tone.

Damien turned his head slowly towards the person he had cut short mid-sentence, belatedly recognizing Isha’s voice. The girl in red robes was now approaching him, with her eyes glaring daggers.

Damien became stiff at Isha's cold features and regal gait.

It was a pathetic view in which a 22-year-old was shrinking back in fear from a girl who was only 20. Even when compared physically, Isha was 1 Inch shorter than Damien and had a slim body. Unlike her, Damien had the build of an athlete. The only thing the same was their levels:75. So dreading her, shamed his swords which were laced on his back in cross sheaths.

Looking at the seriousness in her eyes, he was sure she would chew, spit, and then stomp on him. She wouldn’t even bother using her spells. The swordsman shut his eyes and clenched the fists. Would she hit me in the gut this time or in the head? He dreaded inwardly.

But at that moment…

He felt something squishy and warm pressing on his right cheek and hurriedly opened his eyes to see what was going on, only to find Isha's demonically beautiful smile hanging up-close to his face. And… he became a stone statue, so was everybody in the group and a few other onlookers who were eavesdropping on others' conversation.

"Now, isn't the game somewhat better than reality?" She flicked his head lightly and walked away, leaving behind the words, “He will be back soon, and we will make him take us on an adventure as well.”

Nobody moved till she left the guildhall from the front gate.

"W-what the heck just happened?" Yu asked in disbelief as he dropped his shield on the ground filling the guildhall with the sound of clanking metals.

"Did Isha just give a kiss to Damien?" Elderly Ghun among the youth was confused too as he asked, scratching his head. He was sure he just hallucinated something really weird.

"Hey! Guys, get a hold of yourself. It's Isha we are talking about. She is just teasing him. I am gonna ask her what the hell was this for." Una said. She as well got caught up in the moment to really understand what was happening.

The spearwoman left all three stupefied guys to their devices because no one dared to follow behind Isha to ask for an explanation.

Una caught up to Isha with no sweat, "Hey Isha! Stop."

"Speak." Isha halted and urged.

"What just happened? I have been watching you for the last three months. You have been like a butcher out for Damien's neck ever since you joined the party. Constantly nagging him at his efforts and failure. And now this.” Una made a kissing gesture on her own cheeks using her hands.

“Why are you playing around if you don’t like that guy?" She had to ask this. Isha had been a good party member, but her actions were threatening the integrity of the team.

"I like him." Una creased her brow on receiving an unexpected answer, then Isha confirmed again what Una believed to be misheard words, "I really like him."

Una gulped trying hard not to laugh. Otherwise, she would lose a leg. Although she was their party leader, she was also the weakest strength-wise.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked directly. It wasn't right, but much better than mocking her.

"No, I am not." Isha again started walking towards the library. Leaving behind Una, whose soul had seemingly left her body from the shock.

"Hey! Isha stop. Wait." Una recollected herself as she was about to fight for a reason.

"What is it now?"

"If you are serious, then why are you doing this? First, you made his life hell, and now you are seducing him."

Isha's cold face melted with warmth, creeping out Una and turning many heads towards her. Her warm expression turned the atmosphere around the streets into 180 degrees.

"If I hadn't, he would have left the game for not being able to keep up with the average players. I don't want it. The sole reason I joined the game is for him. But today, he seemed like he would really give up, so I had to do something. I freaked out and kissed him." After observing Damien’s behavior today, she was genuinely concerned if something really wrong was going on in his life IRL.

By the time Isha completed her sentences, Una was sweating profusely. What's with this girl’s head!

"Then why don't you come out and tell him what you feel about him?" Una was a mature girl. Immortal or not she was well aware of how relationships work as she had experienced more than Isha. Una was five years older than her, after all.

"That would only blind him, and he could take it for granted, ruining everything. I don't mind being ruined or devastated. But when I can make things better, why not?" She said, or so I thought.

Una gulped again. This girl was a literal demoness. Although the youngest, Isha was also the scariest among them. If not for Ghun’s stronger class and his experience in it for 20 years, she would be the strongest in their party. Leaving aside Trino, of course. Anyways, a bomber was just a Mage specialized only in explosions. She would beat him someday.

"If he is such a pathetic guy, why bother with him?" Una fell butt first on the ground when Isha read her mind and spoke the same in words.

Giving a helping hand to Una to stand up, Isha continued, "Does one need a reason to fall for someone? It just happens. If you really want one, then here’s one: he is a nice guy. You of all people should know this, being the one who had spent the most time with him in this party.”

“How do you know him that well?”

“Did you forget? We are from the same world, live in the same country and the city, and went to the same institution for education. I knew he liked me, but that idiot never confronted me. Above all, that dummy moved away without even saying goodbye.” Isha pouted in annoyance, recalling her past, completely ignoring the fact that she and Damien never exposed the information she just dumped on her.

From Una’s perspective, it might be nine months, but for Isha, it had been only three months since Damien moved away from the city and only a month since she had come searching for him in-game. More so, they had known each other for three years from their institution days.

“But I think that it’s enough. I would tell Damien how I feel without even asking why his reaction was lackluster upon seeing me again in-game.” Even after all this time, Damien didn’t share anything about what was the reason for him moving away and she didn't bother to ask in her anger. Well, she did kinda overlook her in-game attitude towards him. Nobody would ever share their problems with such an annoying person.

“Now that I think about it, Damien’s level wouldn’t have caught up with your average immortals’ level if not for your nagging. Anyways, why are immortals kinda obsessed with levels?”

“It provides money for living in our world.”

Their conversation drifted to some other stuff as they completely forgot about the boys who they had left behind. Soon they entered a tall building that hosted Lemma city's library.