It had been five years since Cyrus had taken the post of Paladin Guild Master. He was one of the youngest Guild Masters in recent memory, something he was very proud of. The position had been the culmination of hard work and years of sacrifice. Along with a bit of help from his grandfather.

Eunice didn’t like being in the Guild Master’s office. She had been assigned to his services by the Player Society and while her loyalty was absolute, the paladin’s own were… murky at best. But everything she did was subject to the approval of the Society. She worked for them. Not him.

“So a hidden quest?” Cyrus murmured.

“Yes, sir.”

News had spread quickly once the cadets returned to the Academy. Instructors and proctors had already sent multiple parties to investigate the occurrence. And, in a move to control the potential chaos, the Society had put the dungeon under the permanent stewardship of the Academy.

“From what I can gather, the quest is available to any player. It is activated by a hidden rune that-”

“Rune?”

Eunice sorely hated being interrupted. So she took a breath before continuing. “Yes, sir. It’s a system artifact that… Well, it doesn’t exist in physical space. But technomancers can see it. Other players are able to interact with them, but it’s rare.”

The Guild Master motioned for her to continue.

Four days after the cadets returned, the Player Society was informed of the discovery. And then the very next day, Eunice was dispatched to investigate the dungeon. This was the fifth case of a hidden quest she’d investigated in the past four years. The first had been in the coastal regions where a hidden quest had been activated by a group of young players. By the time she arrived, the quest was long gone and only the remnants of the system rune were left. The party that discovered it all died.

The difference between this and other cases was the stability of the hidden quest. Every other instance had been a one-time quest, but this one stuck around. Not only that, other parties had completed the quest and received the reward afterward.

“So the hidden quest is still there?”

“Yes, sir. Currently, the Academy is prioritizing cadet parties led by at least two experienced proctors. Other players can request usage of the dungeon, but Academy students are currently being prioritized.”

Cyrus smiled. That must’ve been Hana’s idea.

Just then, a knock came at the door. “Am I late?”

Two pairs of eyes looked at the door as Seah entered. For a married couple, Eunice had rarely seen the two of them together. They were a striking couple, but whispers floated through the halls as to whether their marriage was a sham.

“Please, darling. Have a seat,” Cyrus spoke. “Eunice was finishing up. Is there anything else?”

The technomancer shook her head. “No, sir. Shall I continue my surveillance?”

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Before he had a chance to answer, Seah spoke up, “For the time being. We still don’t know how he discovered the hidden quest.”

Her husband raised an eyebrow. “I can’t believe Jinyoung would pose a threat to the Society. Not to mention, he is our friend. Right, Seah?”

The expression on Seah’s face darkened for a moment while the question hung in the air.

Seah smiled warmly. “Keep an eye on Jinyoung and Hana for the time being. That is all, Eunice.”

Eunice bowed low. “Ma’am.”

She carefully made her way out of the office while Seah and Cyrus whispered amongst themselves. It was curious. She had been dispatched to follow the party before they discovered the hidden quest. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

As the door closed behind her, she could still hear their conversation inside.

“Cyrus, they’re back at the clan offices…”

***

The brick structure was at least forty years old. Some of the facade was beginning to crumble away and most of the windows had grown fogged due to constant exposure to the heat of summer and the blistering cold of winter. By any standard of measure, it was a dump.

Hana bit her lip. It had been years since her last visit, but she needed to be here. And it helped to have Jinyoung here.

“The first floor has five studio rooms while the second floor is office space. I wasn’t sure, but Seah insisted we’d need it for clients or whatever. And the top floor was a meeting room for us. Johann used to call it our battle room.”

Jinyoung just stared.

“You guys actually did it,” he said.

The awe in his voice took Hana aback. When they were teenagers, the clans were like professional sports teams. Groups of players that cleared dungeons and took on public works projects for fame, glory, and (of course) gold. Now, of course, clans were exactly like sports teams who only worked for fame, glory and gold.

She shook the cobwebs from her mind as memories slowly surfaced. “Cyrus’ grandfather funded the clan for a few years and we worked closely with the Player Society. Mostly public quests like dealing with outbreaks and that.”

“His grandfather?” Jinyoung was incredulous. He’d spent enough time with Cyrus and knew enough about the old man to know this didn’t jibe with the old man.

“Yeah. He had his reasons.”

Another piece of the puzzle, Jinyoung thought to himself. On his own time, he’d explored the town and asked around about what happened in his absence. As a Guild Master, Cyrus’ status was well-known. And, of course, it wasn’t possible to talk about one half of the power couple without the other: the Guild Master and the Director of Operations at the Player Society.

“Jinyoung, I… I think I’m ready to do this again. The plan was always to help and…” Hana’s voice broke. She’d practiced this speech in her head, but she hadn’t realized how hard it would be. “I want to help people again, Jinyoung. Not just players at the Academy, but people. And… I want your help.”

Her eyes searched the ground before they rose and met Jinyoung’s eyes.

“Of course, Hana. Of course I’ll help.” Jinyoung smiled. “But what about the others? Shouldn’t we…” His voice trailed off.

Hana was standing right in front of him, but her eyes were so far away.

She remembered the last quest they took on a group: Cyrus, Seah, Johann, and herself. There had been a rotating cast of freelancers and support, but it was always the four of them. Until it wasn’t.

“Hana?” Jinyoung’s soft voice broke through the cavalcade of memories that gripped Hana.

Her brother hesitated. It’d been weeks since he’d returned. Slowly, he’d come to grips with his new reality. But there were so many unanswered questions. Not just unanswered, but… the way that Hana’s eyes cut sideways when he mentioned Cyrus or the flash of anger when he mentioned Seah worried him so much he learned to bring them up as little as possible.

But there was one name that provoked a different response. And he needed to know what happened to his friends. All of them.

“Hana, where’s Johann?”