After receiving a request from someone in the highest position in the kingdom, Faith and Parker couldn't say no. Even though they didn't want to refuse, they still didn't know how to respond, so they turned to Sean to see if he knew what to do. He looked at them with a careless glare.

Sean with a sigh: [I don't see why not.]

Once she heard that response, the princess had a miniature meltdown that was more cute than concerning. A stark contrast from the short-tempered girl from earlier. She walked out of Zack's office and went into the corridor, from there, she led them to the very end and pushed open a door to a room that looked similar to the plaza. The only difference was the statue in the center was a carving of a previous king, one Zack said to be the best there ever was. Without looking further into it, the princess pushed open a set of doors made of glass that led to a large green field. There was a lack of flowers and workers walking about, it looked a lot more empty than the garden in the front yard.

Parker chuckled at the thought of comparing the castle to a Christmas Tree. Beautiful to the public eye, but was bland and empty where the public couldn't see.

There was a white table set up at the right of the extremely long patio where a tea set up laid. A set of tiny white and gold cups, little plates below them, and a teapot of the same color in the center of the table. Princess Hilda ran towards the table while holding the bottom of her dress to keep her from falling over. She exposed her see-through thigh-high white socks and white slippers that encased her foot. They caught Faith's attention for a split second before Zack nudged her shoulder. Two maids stood beside the table while several guards were next to every exit. Sean counted five.

Princess Hilda: [Come have a seat!]

The three followed as Zack made his way toward the princess. They took seats around the table and were given individual tea cups by the maids around them. Faith felt uncomfortable as the maids went around, but Zack and Hilda's soft smiles brightened up the mood.

Paladin Zack: [Shall we begin?]

A maid poured a yellow liquid from the pot into Hilda's cup, and everyone watched as she took a sip.

Paladin Zack: [Why don't you guys introduce yourselves?]

Sean cleared his throat.

Sean: [I guess I'll start. My name is Sean Soukone, and I come from the same world as Zack, and am very pleased to meet you.]

Hilda nodded with a smile.

Princess Hilda: [What class are you?]

Sean confused: [What?]

Hilda tilted her head as he looked around in panic. Zack imitated a hat tilt to remind him.

Sean: [Oh! Yeah, I'm a wizard. I'm really sorry about that.]

Paladin Zack chuckling: [It's alright. I had a pretty similar reaction when I first arrived.]

Parker nervously: [Uhm, I'm Parker Kane. I'm part of the healer class, specifically a Druid.]

The druid still seemed a little nervous to be talking in front of royalty.

Parker: [It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.]

Hilda nodded and turned to Faith. Her expression was different from the ones she gave the others. It was less of a gentle welcome and more of a "mess up and I'll kill you" type of smile.

Faith: [Oh, my name is Faith. I come from the same world as the others, but I'm actually a guy in that world...]

Hilda raised her eyebrows. Did she already mess up?

Faith: [Yeah, and I'm a sorceress and hope to get to know all of you–!]

All the maids and the guards seemed to instantly get a bit cautious, including Zack.

Princess Hilda: [No wonder you have such a bad mouth.]

The atmosphere around them grew dense. The maids and guards all had their eyes on Faith and preparing to do some harm.

Faith: [What?]

Princess Hilda shouting: [Guards!]

Two guards at the door started making their way towards the tea table while the maids that were standing idle started to secretly make hand signs below their waists. Faith grew cautiously and looked around, only to look back at her friend who was also a Paladin. Noticing the fear in her eyes, he sighed.

Paladin Zack: [Hold on!]

The two guards stopped in their place but the maids kept their hand signs.

Paladin Zack: [You can't take him. He... I mean, she's a friend. She couldn't hurt anyone.]

Princess Hilda hissing: [She's a sorceress, Zack.]

Paladin Zack: [Give Faith a chance. I know she means no harm.]

The Princess gave Zack a cold stare before taking a breath and completely doing a 180. Zack smiled softly towards Faith to ensure that she was safe around him, and that was the vibe he gave off. Parker and Sean watched in confusion as all of that happened.

Princess Hilda: [My name is Hilda Zenwarph. Daughter of the current king and queen, Didus Zenwarph, and Nefrai Oliphaun. I'd say I'm the social-ish type, but I tend to be called a bookworm every now and then.]

Faith calmly: [Why?]

Paladin Zack: [Because she spends a lot of time in the library.]

Faith nodded and Zack continued with a chuckle.

Paladin Zack: [I sometimes call her one to tease her. She doesn't like it, but it's funny.]

Parker saw the princess roll her eyes. A breeze passed by as they sat in silence. A gentle breeze that felt like nothing from back in the normal world. Combined with the fresh air and warm weather, the clean and soft wind blew on their hair like some cartoon character.

Parker: [The princess came into the room wanting to tell Zack something.]

Everyone turned to Parker.

Parker: [What? She seemed really excited... but then Felix... ruined things.]

Princess Hilda: [He isn't wrong.]

The princess rested one of her hands on Zack's and smiled.

Princess Hilda: [I wanted to tell you that Aveay agreed to aid us in the war.]

A wide smile grew on Zack's face.

Parker: [War? Oh, boy, don't tell me this kingdom is going through some bad shit. Did we come at a bad time?]

Faith curiously: [What's Aveay? What's this war about? Why are you two happy about it?]

Paladin Zack: [One question at a time, please!]

Zack cleared his throat.

Paladin Zack: [Aveay is the kingdom right above us on the map. It's far more advanced in magic and technology than any other kingdom on this side of the planet. What they have there is so crazy, not even a master wizard from Leviere can handle their stuff.]

Sean confused: [What's Leviere?]

Faith: [I think that's the name of this kingdom.]

Princess Hilda: [That it is.]

She made a barely noticeable smirk.

Paladin Zack: [Leviere is one of the bigger kingdoms on this side of the planet. Recently the demon lord was reborn and declared war on this kingdom for its land.]

Zack lifted his cup of tea and began to sip.

Paladin Zack: [Ever since the old demon lord betrayed hell, demons from all over have been dying and losing their powers. However, ever since a new one was appointed the position, demons have been getting hungrier for human flesh than they've ever been.]

Parker: [How will taking over Leviere help them with their starvation?]

Paladin Zack: [We assume that the war is all they care about. If they do win, they won't do anything with the land. Hell is an infinite land so there's no reason to fight for another. Maybe they want bloodshed.]

Sean: [Maybe they're trying to take over the world.]

Paladin Zack: [Whatever they're trying to do, we don't know.]

Faith: [Sorry, I wasn't told I needed a pen and paper.]

Paladin Zack: [Was that an info dump? Sorry.]

Parker and Sean thought it wasn't much of an informative speech. Faith was probably overreacting but they wouldn't know.

Princess Hilda: [Well then, I'll be on my way, Zack.]

She placed her half-empty glass of tea on her small plate.

Princess Hilda: [Hope your get-together is worthwhile. Don't forget to check in with Father afterward.]

Hilda walked away with a single guard and maid following behind her. The others waited for the doors to close before continuing their conversation.

Sean: [So this world is currently about to engage in war?]

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Paladin Zack: [No, only this kingdom is. The rest of the world is safe for now.]

Faith placed her empty cup of tea on the table and watched as one maid lifted it and put it on the plate right in front of her.

Parker with a sigh: [You've gotta be fucking me.]

Paladin Zack: [Yeah, you three came at a really bad time. It would have been better for you if you arrived with Andy, Ismail, and me.]

Faith: [Andy and Ismail are in this world too?]

Paladin Zack: [Yeah, but we parted ways after being together for a month. We assumed we would do better on our own than with one another. I don't know how they're doing right now, but I hope it's well.]

Sean: [Did you add them as friends?]

Zack shook his head.

Faith: [Are they in the kingdom?]

Zack shook his head.

Paladin Zack: [I had a couple guards go in search of them, but they came back empty-handed. They couldn't find anyone by those names in the entire kingdom of Leviere.]

Faith: [That sucks... where could they have gone?]

Parker: [I say we go out and look for them.]

The druid got up from his seat.

Parker: [It's not cool to just leave them out and vulnerable.]

Faith nodded and stood up beside Parker.

Faith: [Whose in?]

Sean rolled his eyes and stood up. Zack looked at the three and didn't respond.

Faith: [You aren't coming?]

Paladin Zack: [I have an entire kingdom to protect. Did you forget we are about to engage in war?]

Faith lowered her hand.

Paladin Zack: [I'm sorry, but you three will have to go without me. But that doesn't mean I can't help.]

-

Zack took the three to a grassland outside the city. There were hardly any trees and absolutely no buildings. The entire field was empty with giant green creatures hopping around like they don't notice a thing. They filled the land, but Zack managed to gain the attention of a few and brought them over to the others. As the three monsters in the shape of giant cubes moved slowly and jiggled as they did, Faith stared fearfully at the giant that Zack brought towards her.

Faith frightened: [Is that a Minecraft slime?]

Zack had given them all a set of leather armor before they came to the field. The armor went underneath their costumes so the only visible piece of gear they had were the brown boots and helmets.

Faith: [Are we in Minecraft but without cubes?]

Paladin Zack: [Oh my god, I haven't played Minecraft in so long.]

He went into a state of happy trance for a short moment.

Paladin Zack: [No, but they act a lot like Minecraft slimes. You guys can see the status bars, correct?]

The bar on the slime was hardly visible but the three nodded once they saw it.

Sean: [It's a level one slime.]

Despite its enormous and menacing structure, this was only a level one slime.

Paladin Zack: [Yup! These are the most common type of monsters you'd find on grasslands and near villages and kingdoms. They don't deal any damage to you but they can suffocate you if you lower your guard, so be careful. To level ones like the three of you, they grant a lot of experience. Kill two, and that should be enough to level up.]

Parker: [One problem.]

Zack turned to him.

Parker: [We have no weapons.]

Zack opened up his inventory and started scrolling around and picking out various sets of items. Once he closed his inventory, the items dropped to the ground but remained levitating inches off of the green grass. Laying on the ground we're long wooden staffs with their very own texture and designs. From a single glance, Faith could tell they were throw-away weapons that Zack managed to find stashed away in his inventory.

Paladin Zack: [Slimes are invulnerable against physical damage, like swords or bows, so level one staffs for Wizards and Druids will do the job! Help yourselves.]

Sean and Parker dug into the weapons like they were ponds of fresh water and they hadn't had a drink for the past couple of days. Faith stood back and watched as Zack didn't say her class when presenting. The slimes kept their attention on Zack but didn't seem to be getting close at all like some force was pushing them back.

Faith confused: [So, anything for a sorceress?]

Paladin Zack: [Sorceresses don't use any special weapons, but they do have stones that can help them control their power.]

The sorceress crossed her arms.

Faith: [I'm assuming there's no way to get my hands on one of these stones. Considering the princess's reaction to the class and all,]

Zack chuckled nervously but was saved by Parker's sudden intrusion.

Parker: [There may be no legal way to get your hands on a sorceress' stone, but there's always the option to use an illegal tactic. Where else to go than a black market? Another world or not, you can't prevent humans from doing illegal things.]

Parker walked up to the two with a long staff in his hands. The staff itself had a very unique design compared to the other options Zack threw on the ground. It had a swirl at the top and a green orb contained by the wood and had small branches stemming off of it like thorns on a rose. This particular staff gave Parker extra vitality stats and more health.

Paladin Zack unsure: [The black market in this world can be really shady sometimes.]

Sean: [It's meant to be shady. It's the black market after all.]

Sean walked up to them with a staff that looked similar to Parker's, only less green and shorter. It was practically the length of an average water bottle and as slim as a wooden #2 pencil. It gave Sean a damage boost along with larger storage for mana.

Faith: [So how do we get our hands on the black market?]

Zack shrugged. It wasn't his fault that he's never been to a black market, but the response really bummed Faith out.

While Zack taught Sean and Parker how to fight against the slimes, Faith sat and watched. She watched as her friends pulled off cool new magic tricks, use magic circles, and cast healing spells on giant slimes. Every time they were to kill a slime, it would only miniaturize and split in two, causing Parker and Sean to freak out.

Zack: [Sean! Use Crystal Ball before it gets too close!]

Sean nodded his head as sweat caressed his forehead. He clenched onto his small staff with both of his hands and concentrated some weird bloodstream-like flow towards his hands. The small staff began to let out a tiny blue light above its tip,

Sean casting: [Quả bóng băng!]

The light began to crystallize and shot out in the form of a chuck of ice. The ice darted at the slime and eventually hit it right in its left - two-dimensional eye, causing the slime to become particles that faded in the sky. Sean threw his hands in the air as he shouted.

Sean: [I DID IT!]

Parker cheered on with him until Zack shouted at them to watch their heads.

Neither of them was paying attention. To their surprise, the final, tiny slime, hopped up to Parker's head and prevented him from breathing. Parker began to frantically throw his arm around and smack the slime on his head. In a panic, Sean waved his staff at the tiny slime, which only ended up in the monster's barely opaque core. Sean stepped back without a weapon and watched as Zack walked up to the slime. He simply pulled the slime off of Parker's head and softly pulled the tiny staff out of it. The two watched him in awe as he threw the slime far into the grassy plain, where it was never seen again.

Parker and Sean leveled up slowly as they killed the small remains of the slimes that Zack did most of the damage to. They kept at it until the two of them nearly passed out and were covered in sweat. Since there was no such thing as deodorant in this world, both of them smelled like hogs.

Parker walked to Faith and collapsed beside her. She quickly covered her nose and got up.

Faith sarcastically: [Did you have fun?]

Her eyes were as narrow as could be, and it drained her of her cuteness. Envy got the best of her, and she didn't try to do anything about it.

Parker exhausted: [Who would've known...]

He took a large breath.

Parker: [that using magic... could be so... so much... fun.]

Faith rolled her eyes and turned to Zack.

Parker: [Man, you would've loved this.]

Zack lifted Sean from the ground and walked towards the two on the grass.

Zack: [They both reached level five in one evening. It's quite impressive.]

The wizard patted Zack's fluffy brown hair as his head was facing the sky. He had a funny smile on his face like he was drunk.

Sean laughing hysterically: [We would've been dead if it weren't for you, man.]

The Paladin put Sean down and sat beside him.

Zack chuckling: [It was really no problem.]

The boys shared a laugh.

Zack: [Say, when are you guys going to leave? If you plan on staying longer, I can help out with room and board.]

Faith grumpy: [We'll leave the second I get some sort of offensive tool.]

Zack stared at Faith.

Parker with a chuckle: [Basically, not anytime soon. If you don't mind, we'll gladly take your offer.]

Faith groaned and rolled her eyes.

Zack: [Of course not! It's getting dark out. We should get inside before it gets dangerous.]

Zack asked Sean and Parker if they could walk on their own, and both of them pulled through after stumbling back to the floor a couple of times.

-

Zack led three to the outskirts of the city where it was mostly grassland with a small number of homes and animals spread apart from each other. Most of the homes looked luxurious for their time, having large amounts of land to themselves and well thought designs that could keep them standing for centuries. Zack's home was pretty far from Leviere's capital, taking several minutes out of their day to come by, but once they did, they knew the walk was worth it.

The outside of his house was made from a light brown wood that looked a lot like oak but had properties that set it apart. In the dark, the logs that were used to hold the pillars would emit a sharp brown light from the inside and give off a scent that could ease away all of your miseries. To Parker, it reminded him a lot about being outdoors in Vermont. The scent and the richness of the air almost brought tears to his eyes, but he managed to keep his emotions concealed. The roof of the house was covered in a metallic substance to wash away any rain and prevent anything from nudging its way into his home from the ceiling.

As Zack opened the wooden entrance door to his home, Faith gasped in awe and took off her shoes before walking inside. The living room was less a living room than an area for comfort and casual living. It had a high ceiling that was a little over two stories tall and stair railings along the sides that extended around it so the room could be viewed from the second floor, like an indoor balcony. In the center of the room was a tall wooden pillar like the ones outside, but it reached up to the second floor and emitted a brighter, more comfy light. Around it was a set of furniture using the fur of a grey wolf as casing and a sheep wool-like fluff combined with several other materials that made them the most comfortable furniture in the kingdom. Off to the far right of the great room were two rooms, a kitchen with a stove that ran off of wood, and a bathroom that had extremely old plumbing methods (the toilet being a raised floor with a butt-sized hole that reached far down to the core of the world.)

Zack brought the four to the second floor of his home, where they would sleep for the night. Using the stairs to get there, the three of them looked down at the living room in awe and gazed upon the place that Zack had been living in for some time. The second floor consisted of six separate rooms, each varying in size. The smallest room is a storage room off to the right from making up the stairs. To the far left was a single room that Zack called his study. Inside was a chair made of the same material as the couches and other furniture on the first floor. The room was filled with bookshelves, each of them packed with language books, religious books, this world's form of comic books, short stories, and many more. While looking around, Faith caught a glimpse of a piece of paper on Zack's table. It almost looked like a story or journal. Zack stopped her before she could investigate it.

The last four rooms were bedrooms. Three of them were basic in terms of how a room is supposed to be, a large king-sized bed in the middle that stuck to the wall behind it, and covered in Red Panda-like fur. Faith jumped on hers and let out a large groan while Zack closed the door to her temporary room. The texture of the animal's fur was softer than anything she had ever felt and nearly passed out upon lying on it. The last room was the main bedroom, Zack's room. He never let anyone inside, so what it looked like was unknown to anyone but himself.

Zack: [Whaddya think?!]

He seemed excited to show them around his house. Though every door was closed, they could feel the excitement in Zack's question.

Zack: [Pretty neat, huh?]

Sean opened his temporary bedroom door and peeked his head outside. He made eye contact with the house owner and saw the sparkle in his teeth.

Sean: [It's a huge house. Do you live with someone?]

Zack: [No, I live alone. I just wanted them to build me something that reminds me of back home.]

Parker from in his room: [And they did a phenomenal job!]

Zack: [I know right?! I was so happy when I first saw it! I nearly cried myself to sleep.]

Faith laughed from inside her room.

Sean: [How did you afford all of this?]

Zack: [The currency in this world is surprisingly easy to get a hold of. I gained a quarter of the amount required by introducing some normal world functions to this world, and the rest from my job as a Paladin.]

Sean and Zack continued their conversation about getting money for a while. On the other hand, Parker fell silent and Faith stared at her ceiling with a confident and ecstatic smile.

Faith: [This world...]

The lights in her room turned off. Her stomach growled.

Faith: [It's so amazing.]

She curled herself up and covered up with the blanket Zack supplied her with.

Faith: [As soon as I get my powers, I'm never leaving this place.]

The four of them slept peacefully for the rest of the night.