Liam spent a relaxed evening with Serena and Merida before entering the game the next day. He stretched his body, walking out of the basilisk king's temple, greeted by a bright sun and fresh mountain air.
Not far away the three basilisks were still entranced by their own reflections, paying no attention to the world around them. Liam surmised that this would go on until someone from the empire noticed the situation and destroyed the mirrors.
Although basilisks had this flaw of immense vanity, usually they regained control after a few hours. But since the empire prevented them from coming into contact with mirrors, the beasts would thoroughly enjoy themselves whenever they had the chance.
Liam walked past the king, nodding in goodbye before using his recharged orb of flight to descend the mountain.
However, the serene atmosphere was quickly disturbed when his friends began to fill the chat.
Yesterday multiple teams pushed for level thirty. Obviously, they had seen that Liam and his friends made it past the threshold and intensified their own efforts.
It wasn't far-fetched to assume that these teams wanted to compete for the next first clear. Although Liam and his friends were extremely dominant, others couldn't just give up.
On top of that Silver Blade had gathered some information about the guilds in the central star system.
One could feel the hint of contentment in her messages. Before, she would have never dared to contact the family for such issues. But with her improved standing the family didn't scold her for the investment.
Thus, she could proudly present some information about the central star system.
The central star system was extremely developed. travelling between its twelve planets could be done within days. Yet C still designated each planet as its own server. This led to a situation where each planet had their strong guilds, but the top ones were gathered on Scorpio Star, or just Scorpio, which historically had the most prominent gaming scene.
Right now, multiple guilds were vying for the leading position, each one collecting wins and losses. Five Heavens had indeed announced that they would clear the dungeon today but so had some other guilds.
Yet one could also observe another development as players gradually began to look down on normal mode. Some guilds, most prominently top guilds like Army of the Broken Moon or Mathou, even proclaimed that they would only use normal mode to gather information and prepare for hard mode.
Finally, Silver Blade concluded with a last message:
[Silver Blade: And this was Silver Blade from central system news. Now back to the studio!]
[Cyclone: Haha, you could indeed open a news agency. Your connections are better than those of our local journalists.]
[Silent Acacia: I agree. Without you it might take months for us to learn about central system. At that point we might still be happily clearing normal mode dungeons, becoming a joke to others.]
[Balm: It's not that bad, right? A first clear is still a first clear...]
[Quickstep: It depends. The advertisement effect is still there but if we want to be taken serious, we have to keep up with others.]
[Cyclone: @Quickstep how would your old club have handled this?]
[Quickstep: Them? Probably announce everywhere that they take down hard mode but put the blame on the players in case of a failure...]
[Cyclone: Damn. What an asshole move...]
[Silver Blade: Now that you mention it, I do have some news about TCTT. Want to hear it?]
[Bleary Mirage: Sorry, but what does TCTT stand for?]
[Quickstep: Traunim Cars & Transportation Team. Our former employer. Honestly, I don't care what those idiots are doing.]
[Silent Acacia: I would like to hear it...]
[Silver Blade: Quickstep?]
[Quickstep: Sure, whatever.]
[Silver Blade: Ok. It seems TCTT hired two new prodigies especially for PvP. As you said they have already broadly announced that they are aiming for first place in the upcoming tournament.]
[Quickstep: Same old bullsh*t. I'm already feeling bad for those prodigies. They are probably still kids.]
[Silent Acacia: Yes. It's kinda sad that they will lose to us during the tournament.]
After Silent Acacia's message the chat fell silent for a moment before Cyclone continued.
[Cyclone: Guys, we strayed from the topic. What about the dungeon now?]
Again, it took a second for someone to answer.
[Silver Blade: I take it that no one is overly enthusiastic about normal mode now?]
[Silent Acacia: Not really...]
[Cyclone: If our expert leads us, it indeed feels rather easy...]
[Balm: But we need to try it at least. We have obligations towards our sponsors.]
[Bloody Edge: First-clearing hard mode should more than fulfil these obligations.]
[Silver Blade: From the perspective of a sponsor, they wouldn't complain if we get first clear of both.]
Liam could imagine his friends letting out sighs as no more messages appeared. He jumped down another cliff, landing softly thanks to his glorious wings before the discussion continued.
Eventually the party had to face reality. Although games should be about fun they couldn't shrink their responsibilities. Thus, they decided to meet up at the dungeon entrance.
Liam still had some distance to go. He described the way to his friends while heading for the last cliff.
Soon, he was back on the floor. After a short walk he passed the majestic Fort Skyguard and returned to Svebrial. The teleportation platforms were busy as always. Liam had to queue for a few seconds before he disappeared.
A blueish light shone, and Liam's body materialized on another teleportation platform. He opened his eyes, and a broad mountain street entered his view.
It was extremely busy with merchant caravans coming and going. The different vehicles stuck close to the ground, hinting at the weight of their cargo. Horses and other beasts of labour showed strained expressions as they carefully walked up and down the mountain.
However, not all carts were drawn by beasts. Some drove by themselves, steaming heavily, rattling as they moved along the bumpy road. They looked like old cars but bigger, controlled with levers from a half-open seat similar to the driver seat of a carriage.
Liam didn't linger on the street, instead taking in the rest of his surroundings. It was a busy plateau with many NPCs and some players. Constant chatter echoed through the air. The crowd was dominated by dwarves, with goblins and humans coming second.
The mountain street ended before an incredibly tall bronze gate inlaid in a towering mountain. This was the entrance to the core of Deep Bell City, a major dwarven city.
However, the city didn't only exist below ground, but it also extended above ground. Houses made from stone and metal were sprawled along the mountain looking quite welcoming due to the missing city wall.
Only a few scattered towers brimming with all kinds of weapons were defending the city against attacks from the air or the ground.
However, it wasn't difficult to guess that the dwarves could give up the outer city in the face of a serious threat, hiding in the core, which would turn into an impenetrable fortress.
Enemies arriving before the massive gate would fall into despair using all their means whether magical or physical without being able to make any progress.
Liam's eyes ran along the bronze gate, stopping on a deep scar still brimming with magic close to the top. This was caused by the attack of a real, adult, living and breathing dragon. Ever since making it through that attack the city had solidified its reputation as unconquerable.
Unfortunately, this had made its inhabitants rather arrogant, which could be gleamed from the constant cursing around Liam.
The veteran perfectly understood why the players were disgruntled as he tried to get through the gate. A rough-looking dwarf addressed him with an unfriendly tone:
"Nephilim? Hmpf. We really let all kinds of people into the city nowadays! 30 silver!"
Liam's mouth twitched. He had much he wanted to say to the guard, but he knew that the only outcome would be an increase in the price.
Thanks to his high charisma he was already better off than others. When his friends wanted to enter the city, the average price were 37 silver coins. Cyclone was close to exploding but luckily Silver Blade held her back.
Thus, the mage vented in the party chat for a long time. She even asked Liam for a cheaper alternative, but he could only explain that this was a necessary investment.
At least the players would only be ripped off once. Afterwards they unlocked the teleporter within the core city, which cost barely any coins in comparison.
Hypnotizing himself with his own knowledge, Liam put on a polite smile as he paid the fee of 30 silver. He was only answered with a snort as another dwarf opened a smaller part of the big gate and granted him entry.
Liam suppressed his urge to draw his swords and passed the gate. His thoughts were immediately distracted by the breathtaking sight falling into his eyes.