Shin and Aqua scrupulously scanned the entire Silverhaven Market Square, their eyes darting from one player to another. They'd been doing this for about five minutes and Aqua had already gotten a little impatient. It wasn't because they were taking so long to select who they'd talk to, but rather, they could be using this time to change her gear.

"So, who are we talking to? They all seem so busy." Aqua kept her eyes on the players.

Shin's gaze suddenly fixated on a group of three individuals huddled together in front of a weaponry shop. "How about them?" he suggested, pointing discreetly towards the trio.

Aqua scrutinized the group, a bit skeptical. "Are you sure they'll have the answers we're looking for? They seem... well, you know, kinda..."

"Clueless?" Shin suggested.

Aqua placed her hands on her waist and shook her head at his blunt observation. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Doesn't matter," Shin waved his hand dismissively. "Let's give it a shot. Maybe they know something useful."

A nod from Aqua. "Okay, I guess."

They approached the group.

Shin plainly greeted them, saying, "Excuse me."

The three men turned towards them, their attention captured by the duo's approach.

The guy in the middle caught their eyes immediately. His tousled red hair complemented his golden eyes, while short black horns adorned his head. He was dressed in a vibrant red and black kimono, with an obi cinched at his waist. A katana rested casually on his shoulder, highlighting his warrior spirit. His race, an oni, was apparent from his distinctive black horns.

His class was Warrior. Subclass: Samurai.

"What's up?" he asked, flashing a smile.

Shin introduced himself, "My name is Shin. I was actually wondering if I could ask you some questions."

The red-haired oniʼs grin widened, revealing slightly razor-sharp teeth. "Nice to meet you, Shin. I'm Raiden," he replied.

Aqua, waving gently, chimed in, "Hi, nice to meet you all too. I'm Aqua."

As Aqua waved at the three men, a subtle blush tinted their cheeks. Raiden cleared his throat, trying to regain composure. "Uh, yes. Nice to meet you, Aqua and Shin," he said, his voice faltering slightly.

Shin, still maintaining his indifferent demeanor, analyzed the three.

'I knew it, he looks like the type that'd be into girls... It was a lucky guess, but usually, people who hung their swords casually on their shoulders for everyone to see, were doing it to impress women.'

Then, he brought the conversation back to his original purpose. "So, about my questions..."

Raiden leaned in attentively. "Shoot," he replied eagerly.

"Well, I believe our current predicament in Elden Online isn't news by now," Shin informed Raiden.

The fiery-haired oni nodded, a knowing smirk on his face. "Yeah, pretty much," he replied casually, as if he had grown accustomed to the chaos surrounding them.

Noticing something, Aqua couldn't help but interject. "You seem so calm about it, uh, Raiden," she commented.

Raiden grinned, rubbing his nose smugly. "Well, even getting stuck in a game with high chances of dying doesn't scare me," he declared boldly.

The man on the right, with broad shoulders and a pair of sleek glasses perched on his nose, adjusted them before chiming in. "Raiden is certainly lying," he said calmly. "In fact, he cried for nearly an hour when we the glitch first happened."

His name was Muren, a beastperson with brown hair that matched his furry ears and warm brown eyes. Bard was his class.

Raiden's eyes widened, panic flashing across his face as he shouted in protest, "Muren, you didn't have to go into details! And I definitely didn't cry that long!"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Before he could continue his defense, the man on the left, Keltis, spoke up. Quiet and composed, his purple hair contrasted with his deep black eyes. He wore a black cloak with elegant white trims, giving him an air of maturity. "But actually, Raiden, you did cry that long," he stated with a smirk, his tone teasing.

"Not you too!" Raiden exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

Keltis merely chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Raiden's outburst.

Despite his smaller stature, being a halfling, Keltis carried himself with confidence and charisma. His class was Alchemist.

"Wait, you guys are a party?" Aqua asked with surprise.

Raiden nodded proudly. "Yeah, and I'm the leader," he affirmed proudly.

"Unfortunately." Muren trolled casually.

"HEY!" Raiden shot back.

Observing them closely, Shin asked, "So you guys were able to stay together even after getting randomly teleported."

There was a faint sadness etched onto their faces, a residual reminder of the hardships they had faced. Raiden, however, shrugged off the gloomy appearances and forced a smile.

"Guess we were lucky, haha." He tapped his katana against his shoulder.

Shin narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, sensing that there was more to the story. However, he knew it wasn't any of his business, so he didn't see any use in prying any further. "What about communications? Have you been able to contact any of your other player friends?" Shin asked.

Raiden's expression shifted, becoming slightly more somber.

"That's one of the strangest parts of this glitch, actually. Normally, party members are automatically added to each other's friends list, but after the game glitched, we had to add each other again. It's as if the entire communication network was scrambled, which makes sense because we can't even contact the GMs to fix this."

The same thing happened to Aqua and likely Shinʼs friends list too, but he was asking for confirmation.

Raiden continued, his voice heavy with frustration, "As if that wasn't bad enough, all the transport gates in the game have stopped working. Teleportation crystals are now limited, and even teleportation skills are affected. It's becoming increasingly difficult to travel between locations."

The Bard class had a lot of UMS (Utility Magic Skills), one of which was teleportation, it was like a return spell of sorts. But they didn't function with as much accuracy as they initially would.

Raiden knew this because after all one of his party members was a Bard; Muren.

A slow nod from Shin. "So, what're other players doing in a situation like this? Are they finding ways to regroup?" he asked.

Raiden nodded with a grim face.

"Those who are part of the larger guilds, like the Nova Paragons, the Meister Guild, or the Elden Dragonroads, are already connecting with whoever they can recognize from their guilds. They're trying to regroup, reestablish their information network and gather their forces. Others are desperately searching for answers, even though there's no clear question to ask. One thing's for certain though, it's a bad idea to be a solo player in a time like this."

Elden Online was no longer about leveling up and completing quests.

It was about surviving...

Shin took a moment to let everything sink in.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Raiden, do you know when the players will gather for a meeting?" Shin asked.

Raiden considered the question for a moment before replying, "It's likely to be in about three to four days. We need to give everyone enough time to regroup and gather. Besides, if we rushed into a meeting now, there's no guarantee that all the players would be aware of it. Some may still be stranded in different parts of the game."

Aqua interjected, "Why not hold the meeting immediately? Strike while the iron's hot, right?"

Muren, with his usual calm and measured voice, explained, "If we were to hold a meeting now, there's a chance that crucial information won't reach all the players. It's important to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to participate, even those who may not be directly involved in the meetings. Excalia and Valoron have been working on ways to ensure widespread communication, so we can include as many players as possible."

Aqua nodded, understanding the logic behind Muren's words.

"So," Shin mused, "they'll publicize the meeting information, making it accessible to all. That way, even new players can join in."

Aqua rubbed her chin thoughtfully before adding, "It makes sense. By spreading the word, we can foster inclusivity and give everyone a chance to participate."

"Yep," Raiden snapped his fingers. "You guys are spot on."

Aqua turned to Raiden. "Hold on a minute, who are Excalia and Valoron?"

"Oh, they're two of the highest-level players in the game. They're somewhere around level 140 or so."

Aqua's eyes widened in awe. "Level 140? That's incredibly high!"

Raiden chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I had the same reaction."

"They're both incredibly skilled and experienced players." Muren nodded, silently acknowledging them.

With his questions answered, Shin removed one hand from his pocket and scratched his head. "Well, that's all the questions I had," he admitted.

Raiden nodded, a friendly smile on his face. "In that case, just stick around Silverhaven so you know when the meetingʼs officially been scheduled."

"That sounds easy," Shin replied.

Using his thumb, Raiden pointed to his back, where a large backpack rested against his shoulders. It carried some supplies and equipment they had purchased. "Well, we were actually planning to rest at an inn for the night and maybe head out tomorrow to level up a bit."

Aqua raised an eyebrow, a little concerned. "Leveling up? Isn't that a little risky? What if you encounter stronger monsters?"

Raiden blushed lightly and chuckled smugly. "Oh, don't worry about us. We're pretty strong," he assured her. "Besides, we'll be fighting monsters with a slightly lower level than us. It should be a piece of cake."

Muren, adjusting his glasses with a practiced gesture, chimed in. "Additionally, we can sell some of the materials we obtain from the monsters. That way, we can make some money to buy more gear."

'If we didn't know that we wouldn't be in this game now would we,' Shin thought.

Keltis added, "By the way I'm an alchemist, so, if we have any leftover materials, I can use them to craft something we can either use in battle or sell for a higher price. It's a win-win situation."

Raiden shrugged. "It's a tragic cycle for weaker players, you know? They're too scared to fight monsters because they don't want to die. But if they don't fight, they won't be able to level up faster."

Aqua sighed, realizing the unfortunate reality for less experienced players. And what made things worse was that she was one of them. Before she could say anything else, Raiden's tone changed, a little more active again. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask!" he exclaimed, his eyes shining with curiosity. "What are your levels, if you don't mind me asking?"

Aqua opened her mouth to respond, but Shin, who had been staring at the trio with a lackadaisical expression, finally spoke up. "It's not important," he said dismissively, his voice almost devoid of interest.

The abruptness of Shin's response surprised Raiden, causing him to pause for a moment. "Oh... okay," he replied, taken aback by Shin's coldness.

Nonchalantly, Shin continued, "Anyway, Aqua and I have some errands to run, so we'll be on our way."

Raiden and his party exchanged glances, they were confused. In a sense, they felt like they'd offended them somehow.

Gently, Raiden placed a hand on Shin's shoulder, bringing him to a halt. The calmness in Shin's eyes gave no indication of his true thoughts, but Raiden pressed on. "Listen," he began earnestly, "if your levels are still low, I think you should consider joining our party. We can protect you until you level up enough to handle things on your own."

A generous offer.

Shin's response was as cool and collected as ever, his gaze fixed straight ahead. "No thanks," he calmly replied. With that, he resumed his stride, walking away and leaving both the trio and Aqua behind.

Raiden turned to Aqua. "You should really talk to him about it. In this game, players need all the support they can get. We can't afford to let pride get in the way of our survival."

Aqua hesitated, uncertainty etched across her face. "But..."

Quickly, Raiden interjected. "Being stuck in this game means so many things. And I don't know if you know this or not, but one of them is likely permanent death," he stated plainly. "But I guess you should know."

"W... What?"

"The blood on your robe," Raiden stated. "It says a lot."

And immediately, Aqua remembered her time in the Sila Labyrinth.

Serixʼs death. . .

Would they end up like that if they didn't join Raidenʼs party...?

In a ruthless world of monsters of varying kinds, they were only level 9.