That evening when Liam searched for information on what the other guilds were doing, he turned up empty-handed. It was like the silence before the storm. While casual players might think Dream Avenue won the race for first clear, in reality it had only just begun.
When Liam explained the situation to Serena, the poor girl was quite anxious. She wished she could be more of a help.
But Liam reassured her that she was already doing enough. For him it was more important that his sister could develop healthily. He didn't need her to share the burden.
Liam firmly believed that for the young child it was more important to catch up in her education and find friends among the Crunaboul Discovery Group.
Gently guiding the conversation Liam soon got Serena to gladly tell him about her experiences with the childcare group.
From her stories he gauged that Serena found her time with them enjoyable. The group didn't restrict the children. If they preferred professions over fighting, they would form groups to cook, work in the smithy, or brew potions.
If they wanted to spend time without the group, for example in guilds, they were allowed to do so as well after a caretaker officially handed them over.
The latter, however, contained a small caveat. Since Serena joined Dream Avenue, small groups have formed in the Crunaboul Discovery Group.
The children there usually were from well-off families which more or less had interests in various guilds from small to big.
Thus, they couldn't avoid forming small groups, sometimes instigated by their parents. As a result, some children were told to get close to Serena while others kept their distance.
Liam was quite unhappy after learning about this. Those young children shouldn't be confronted with the cold, rational society in his opinion. He didn't send Serena to the group to form business-like contacts but to find genuine friends.
Liam reminded himself to keep an eye on this development in the future as he and Serena went to bed.
The next day he did some light training in the morning, lamenting the fact that he still didn't have the accommodations of a gaming house.
At least the negotiations for the purchase of the chosen building had begun. Silver Blade organized a team led by none other than her father, who surprisingly volunteered.
The young woman was quite touched. Her father Malik was not a bad businessman but he usually detested the purely utilitarian environment. But since the discovery of her assistant Ontril's betrayal, Silva's father had begun to offer more support to his daughter.
Her mother also silently supports the family by taking care of the investment firm she and her husband jointly led.
Silver Blade was grateful to her parents, vowing to not let down their efforts by keeping a lead in the game.
Thus, despite showing an outwardly stalwart look, she couldn't fully suppress her inner anxiousness as the party met the next day.
They waited in front of the mining tunnel.
"Where is Mirage? How can he take so long? If this continues, the other teams will be done with the dungeon before we even enter!", complained Cyclone unhappily.
"My friend, haste makes waste. Don't be too anxious. Our entry into the game was barely 5 minutes ago.", calmed Radiant Shield.
"5 minutes too much."
Balm nodded along with Cyclone, wearing a troubled expression. Yesterday she had a call with one of their main sponsors, Cider.
Cider was a smaller company compared to behemoths like Colville Constructions. They sold a few kinds of beverages created from local plants.
The company was privately owned by a small family named Ashby. Balm had hit it off with the elderly couple right from the start. Even though their son, who led the company's day-to-day business was sceptical at first, he was immediately convinced after Dream Avenue achieved the next first clear.
During their call the family thanked Balm multiple times, stating how this sponsorship was the wisest decision they had ever made.
Within one month their fame skyrocketed. Even companies from other planets asked for collaborations. Although Falva Star was far from the central star system, there were some neighbouring planets which could be reached within a week or two, which were worth considering.
Hearing this, Balm was happy as well, feeling that their guild was having a positive impact on others. But this also increased the pressure on her shoulders. She felt obligated to keep up the pace so those depending on the guild won't have any regrets.
For Cyclone and Balm this was a novel feeling. Other than sponsors they also had employees who trusted in them. This wasn't quite what they had in mind when dreaming of founding a famous guild, but the two women were willing to live up to the expectations.
As they waited anxiously a familiar figure finally walked down the street.
Cyclone was just about to scold when her eyes fell on the large dog walking next to Liam. Fellfell's appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Quickstep glanced at her boyfriend, noticing the shimmer in his eyes and couldn't help but chuckle. She knew Acacia's exaggerated fondness of pets. It was part of the reason why he became a beast hunter in the first place.
"Expert, finally you are here! Did you adopt a dog on the way? Is this what took you so long?"
Liam smiled apologetically at Cyclone.
"Sorry, guys. That big guy takes too much space. I had to wait for a less busy cable car. They wouldn't let me in otherwise."
"How heartless. How can they look at such a cute puppy and deny him entry?"
Silent Acacia shook his head, slowly approaching Liam, reaching out with his hand for Fellfell's head.
"Can I...?"
"Sure."
Instantly a smile bloomed on the hunter's face as he began patting the dog, enjoying the feeling of the soft skin. Fellfell immediately raised his head, smelling Acacia's hand.
"This dog is indeed quite cute. What's his name?", asked Quickstep as she also stepped forward.
"His name is Fellfell. He's not really a dog but a beast called Nehthrebrian Tracker. He will help us find the hidden boss."
When Liam said this, the party heard an audible sigh. They glanced strangely at Bloody Edge. The thief coughed, somewhat embarrassed, and explained in a low voice:
"I am allergic to most fur. Badly."
"Oh..."
The others showed their understanding. Cyclone patted his shoulder, pitying the young man for never being able to enjoy the company of a cute pet.
But Liam reassured the thief with a smile:
"There are all kinds of furred beasts in the game. Did you react allergic once?"
"No..."
"You see. No need to be careful in the game."
Bloody Edge's eyes lit up brightly as he mulled over Liam's words. He felt this was right. Maybe he could finally pet a dog without tearing up?
As this thought came to his mind Bloody Edge couldn't let it go. He carefully moved towards Fellfell, his hands shaking. He reached out with his hand. Finally, he caressed the beast's nearly hairless skin. A bright smile formed on his face as his eyes became watery.
"Haha, such a touching scene!", commented Cyclone happily.
Fortune thought so as well, recording everything meticulously. She imagined the joy of her viewers suffering from similar allergies when they learned that they wouldn't be affected in the game.
But suddenly Bloody Edge spoke up, his voice sounding strange due to his stuffy nose:
"Guys, those are no tears of joy! My allergy is acting up."
Everyone was taken aback. Cyclone asked with a strange look:
"Expert, what's going on?"
Even Liam was stumped. He could only come up with a guess:
"I can only think of two possible explanations. Either the body recreated by C is more accurate than I thought. Or your allergy is so ingrained in your very being that your brain tricks itself into thinking that touching the dog should evoke such a reaction..."
The friends nodded along, unable to come up with other explanations. Their eyes directed at Bloody Edge turned pitying again. The thief, however, was quite happy:
"This is already a preferable outcome. It has been a long time since I came this close to a pet."
"It's this bad?", asked Balm.
This time Radiant Shield answered in his friend's stead:
"Edge reminded us, his dorm mates, before. Should he ever show signs of an allergic shock we are to immediately call the ambulance."
These words caused the others to sigh. A short silence fell. Suddenly Cyclone perked up:
"Hey, guys! We got distracted by the dog! We need to hurry up and clear the dungeon!"
"Cyclone is right!", stressed Balm.
The others also realized that they were wasting time. Finally, the party entered the mines. A few minutes later they stood in front of the dungeon.
After a short conversation with Professor Atrol they received the same quest again. Subsequently the professor opened the barrier for the party, granting them entry into the dungeon.