Vivian glanced over his shoulder. Any moment now…

As he reached the bottom of Belltower Heights, the lead hobgoblin drew to a jog, then a halt. He glared after the party and jabbed his finger at them, shouting something in a jittering tongue. An archer drew up alongside him and fired an arrow toward the party, but it fell short. The archer shook her head, turning back.

With one last incomprehensible threat, the hobgoblin leader shook his head. He spun on his heel and marched back toward the ruined town atop the heights. His fellow hobgoblins glanced at the party, and a few fired shots or shouted questions at the leader, but none of them stepped past the bottom of the heights.

Vivian laughed. “Good. They still won’t leave the heights. We could’ve been in real danger there, if they had.”

“You could have been in real danger? What about me?” the peasant demanded, stomping up to them. She dropped her skirts and ran her hands through her hair, quickly tying it up in a messy bow. The whole time, she glared at the party, shaking her head.

“What about you?” Vivian returned with a shrug. You’re just some NPC. Am I supposed to care about every NPC the Tower throws my way?

“What about—dammit. I know you Players all think you’re real heroes or whatever, but some of us got sucked into the Tower. I’m not an NPC, I just got classed wrong somehow! And all I’ve been doing is getting murdered by hobgoblins over and over again, because no one wants to raise a hand to help me!” the peasant complained, shaking her head.

“So did we,” Vivian said. He cleared his throat. “Got classed wrong, that is. Not the murdered by hobgoblins part.”

“Huh?” she asked.

Vivian nodded, then shook his head. “Well, not Noah. He’s a Player. But I’m a Gardener—Vivian, by the way, and Kyung over there is a… Barber? Hairdresser?”

“Hairdresser,” Kyung said quietly.

“Huh. Really?” the peasant girl asked, frowning at them.

“Why would we lie about that?” Vivian asked.

“No, no, fair enough, it’s just surprising.” After a moment, she nodded at Kyung. “Kyung, like Cha Kyung?”

Kyung nodded silently.

She squinted. “Wait, don’t tell me… you’re Cha Kyung?”

Kyung nodded again.

She gasped. “Whoa, no way! Can I get your autograph?”

Kyung stepped back, putting Vivian between himself and the peasant. He averted his eyes.

The peasant sighed. “Ah well. It was worth the ask.”

“How do you know his surname?” Vivian asked, confused.

“Well, he’s Cha Kyung. Son of Cha Yeong-ho,” the peasant said, as if it explained everything.

Vivian spread his hands, furrowing his brows. “And?”

Kyung looked at the girl. He shook his head.

“And, it’s obvious,” she said, tossing her hair.

“Oh, come on,” Vivian said. He rolled his eyes at Kyung.

Kyung shrugged at him helplessly.

“You’re deliberately not telling me, at this point,” Vivian accused him.

“I’ve been deliberately not telling you since the start,” Kyung countered.

“In any case! My name is Isabella, but you can call me Isa. I’m a Seamstress,” the peasant introduced herself.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Vivian sighed deeply. “And I was just getting used to calling you ‘peasant’ in my head.”

“That’s rude,” Isa accused him, shaking her head.

“A Seamstress? Can you make us clothes?” Noah asked, his eyes wide.

Vivian slapped him lightly on the back of the head. “Hey! Who did I just save from the fate of being an Enchanter? Don’t go around and ask random strangers to use their abilities for your benefit. Of all people, you should know better!”

Noah rubbed the back of his head. He glanced at the floor. “Sorry…”

“No, it’s fine. I actually don’t know if I can make clothes or not! I don’t even know why I have a class, because all I ever do is die the second the hobgoblins look at me,” Isa said with a deep sigh.

“Never hoofed it before?” Vivian asked.

Isa put her hands up and shrugged. “Most parties aren’t already fleeing when I spawn, which means the hobgoblins are in fighting formation right up against the belltower. I think… I’m not sure, but I think the Event is—”

“To save the damsel in thirty seconds, before the hobgoblins kill her,” Vivian said, the words suddenly coming to mind unbidden.

“Oh, thirty seconds? It felt more like ten,” Isa complained. She sighed, then shook her head. “In any case, because you guys were running, they didn’t group up, and they were kind of… confused, I guess? I never had an opening like that before. I’ve tried running, but… they usually just shot me down.”

“Ah, so because we ran, they shot at us, and you were able to escape,” Vivian summarized, nodding.

“More or less. So… thanks,” Isa said, shrugging.

Vivian nodded.

They walked along the path. The hedge maze and sharp hill vanished into the forest, and the path wound on. A few narrow paths traced off into the forest. Shadows pressed in around them, growing darker as clouds thickened overhead.

“Uh… sorry, but where are we going?” Isa asked.

“The Ruined Castle,” Vivian said.

Isa stared. “The Boss area of Floor One?”

“The one and only,” Vivian said, nodding.

“I’m level one,” Isa said, taken aback.

“Then go grind,” Vivian said flatly.

Isa scowled at him. “Hey! Aren’t we NPCs sticking together?”

Vivian stopped. Kyung paused, looking back. Noah drifted to a halt, a little out of sync.

“Why?” Vivian asked.

“What?”

“Why? Why should I stick with you? Hell, even Kyung didn’t stick with me, at first,” Vivian said, hooking a thumb at Kyung.

Kyung nodded.

“Well, yeah, but he’s Kyung,” Isa stressed. She frowned. “How’d you end up as an NPC?”

Kyung shrugged.

“And I’m the Vivian, so there,” Vivian said.

“You aren’t a hundred and twenty,” Isa deadpanned back at him, rolling her eyes.

“Anyways, I’m not a babysitter, and no one’s paying me to drag your ass along, so… catch up or give up,” Vivian said, shrugging.

“Yeah!” Noah crossed his arms firmly and gave Isa a tough-guy look.

“The kid we’re carrying should keep his mouth shut,” Vivian said, still smiling at Isa.

“What? I’m not being carried. I’m not, am I?” Noah asked, turning to Kyung.

Kyung nodded. “You are.”

Noah drooped. He pouted a little. Under his breath, he muttered, “I’m level nine now…”

“Is he paying you?” Isa demanded, jabbing a finger at Noah.

“Wish he was. Well, he is, just not with money. He’s paying his way with his services, otherwise known as, being a real Player class, otherwise known as, being a Mage,” Vivian said, giving Isa a smug look.

“You are insufferable,” Isa stated.

Vivian bowed extravagantly. “Thank you.”

Tossing her hair, Isa swept her eyes across the men and crossed her arms firmly. “I’m going nowhere.”

“Great. Stand right there forever,” Vivian said.

“I mean, you aren’t getting rid of me that easily. I’m coming with you,” Isa said.

“Are you going nowhere or coming with us? I’m confused,” Vivian said. I’m done with this conversation. I’m going home. By which I mean, heading to the Ruined Castle. He walked off, putting his arms behind his head.

Ignoring Vivian, Isa turned to Kyung. “I won’t be a burden. I just… anything but infinitely respawning on that hill. It takes forever between each respawn, too.”

Kyung shrugged. He turned and followed Vivian.

“Is he the Party Leader? Seriously?” Isa asked, looking at Noah.

Noah shrugged. “He is the one who gathered us, so… I guess?”

Isa glanced over her shoulder. She wrinkled her nose, gazing up at the belltower high above. “Maybe I’ll just go die to the hobgoblins again.”

“Be my guest!” Vivian shouted back.

“Is he always like this?” Isa asked Noah.

“Uhm… yeah, mostly,” Noah said, nodding.

Isa sighed. She crossed her arms again, more tightly this time. “The second I get some levels, I’m going to find myself a real party. Someone out there will appreciate my skills.”

“What skills?” Noah asked innocently.

Vivian snorted with laughter. He shook his head, grinning. “You tell her, kiddo!”

“I’m seriously going to kill you,” Isa shouted.

“I—I didn’t mean it like that,” Noah muttered. He flicked his eyes at Isa, then away nervously. “I meant… I just wanted to know what skills you had.”

“It’s alright. I knew that,” Isa said gently.

“I meant it like that!” Vivian called.

Isa rolled her eyes. “I know you did, asshole.”

Noah leaned in. “He isn’t always like this. He’s just annoyed right now. I don’t really know why.”

Sighing, Isa shrugged. “I get it, kind of. I’m level one, so I’m a liability. Once I get stronger, I’ll go find a better party, and I won’t have to put up with him anymore.”

“Go find a better party now,” Vivian muttered under his breath.

Kyung shook his head at him. “There’s no harm.”

Vivian sighed. He ran his bangs back, the slightly-too-long hair falling immediately back down his forehead and toward his eyes. “I just don’t want to carry two people. The Ruined Castle isn’t the place for level ones. It isn’t the place for level nines, in all honesty.”

Kyung glanced over his shoulder, then shrugged. “One of them respawns.”

Flashing a grin, Vivian pointed double finger guns at Kyung. “Now that’s the kind of thinking I like!”