The next day, they arrived at the fort early. It was similar to the previous one, although the wood with which it was built wasn’t the same, but that of the area in which they were now.

Goldmi didn’t accept to be treated in a special way. She chose to sleep with the others, in the shared dormitory with Maldoa, as they had decided not to attract attention. The latter also warned her bosses regarding the prince, possible complaints and problems. She also wanted to have him watched. She was afraid he might try something against her friend.

They made sure to arrive before breakfast. They would have preferred to eat earlier, in the jungle, the delicious food prepared by the attendees. However, it was important to do it there. That way, they could try to find a group in which all three could fit.

It was true that they could go alone, but it was safer with more people, Now the elf was only level 35, so it was less suspicious that way. A group consisting of only a healer, an archer and a lynx would draw a lot of attention.

Luckily for them, the number of members in a group wasn’t fixed, and all those who didn’t have a healer were delighted to have them. Also, there were never enough good attackers.

The ideal group for them was one with only female components, or with male components of other races who weren’t attracted to the two women, as they had been the last time. The beauty ideals of a dwarf, a reptilian, or an elf are quite different. For example, when Crogall had spoken of his wife, he had praised the beautiful greenish color of her skin, as well as had proudly told how she liked the scales on her husband’s face.

They wanted to avoid problems, as they had had enough with a prince. In addition, although it might seem otherwise, the atmosphere of the place was conducive to relationships, since nothing united more than danger and being away from the loved ones.

Thus, they had ended up agreeing to enter a group of only women, who didn’t want men in their group for that very reason. It is worth mentioning that there were groups of only men in a similar situation, since both sexes could be quite aggressive in their personal relationships. It was especially troublesome in some races, which could strain relationships in the group, and put them in danger.

In fact, it wasn’t that her new companions didn’t flirt in the fort, or hate men, but they preferred not to mix love with business. In fact, Tire, a woman with wolf ears, had her sights set on the one in charge of the fort.

“This is settled today. This night, he’s mine,” the magician had assured.

“Didn’t you say that last night?” Siona was exasperated.

She was a demihuman with a fox’s tail and ears, and was carrying a dangerous spiked whip It was a weapon that Goldmi didn’t remember from the game, at least not for players.

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“And the previous of the last one!” laughed Bó.

The latter was Tarbhnor’s sister, and the main reason they had joined them. They had brought her a letter and a package from him, which had led them to meet each other, to gain her trust, and had driven her to insist that they teamed with her group. After meeting the rest, it had seemed like a good option.

Like her brother, she wielded a huge staff, something that seemed to run in the family. That made her the tank of the group, since there were no better choice, and the staff could be used both defensively and offensively. It wasn’t as imposing as a shield, but it could do the job relatively well.

For her part, a certain fairy was flying invisible, although those sensitive enough could sense her presence. However, they confused her with a spirit that was prowling there, something much less strange than a fairy. It was easy for her to simulate an aura she already knew, but she didn’t have enough experience to simulate others, or to completely hide her presence.

It took Goldmi a couple of days to get to level 36, and almost five to level up to 37. At that rate, it might take her more than a month to reach level 40 and travel to the next area. It may not seem very fast when compared to other times, but it was more than extraordinary when compared to most of the inhabitants of that world.

At level 36, she had unlocked Clone, which consists of creating copies of oneself by using plants and mana. The difference is obvious if they are looked closely, or their color can be noticed. However, both the silhouette and the aura are practically identical to the original, and they can even be moved a little. Since it was very useful for playing hide-and-seek, she had it at affinity 10, which allowed her to create ten of those clones.

And, at level 37, there was Bubble. It consists of creating an insulating layer of wind around the caster, which is quite handy for diving. She had it at affinity 8, because both in water and in poisonous areas it was useful, as well as aesthetically beautiful.

The Obstacles skill, at level 36, is somewhat similar to Tangle, but much more concealed. It can be used to make someone stumble. After that, it is very difficult to blame other than oneself and a slightly more prominent root, which hadn’t been there a little before. She had leveled it up to 6, at which point Gjaki and Eldi had finally realized her prank. It was also useful in some espionage or infiltration missions.

Disarm had been unlocked at level 37. It blocks with the sword, and then use the dagger to disarm the opponent, or vice versa. It is very useful in missions to capture enemies alive, but it is little used in general. Except in fights against other players, in tournaments in which the elf had rarely participated. So she had it at 3.

She had also helped clean up those losts which were hidden underground, although they were less numerous than in the previous area. Also, she had had the exclusivity of the flying losts, although there hadn’t been many.

The lynx, for her part, was very effective in attracting enemies. She could go to the forest to get the attention of one of them, and then escape quickly, though her sister was always on the alert in case she needed covering. Then, the enemy, or sometimes two enemies, were easily defeated by the group.

The truth was that there were fewer losts than usual, something that had been happening since the days before Goldmi’s arrival. For that reason, they were especially vigilant, since they feared that some kind of trap might be brewing. Although the truth was that there was no sign of any general.

So, on the eighth day of their stay there, they continued to slowly exterminate some enemies, while Tire was claiming that this night he was hers, and the rest simply ignored her.

It was then that, from inside the forest, they saw a red signal arise. Someone was in the corrupted forest asking for help.