Greg lowered his head as he stepped out of the tavern with the other group members. The last thing he had expected was the group of people he had trained last night to take him into their group so easily... nor did he expect them to actually be pretty famous!
"Hey... isn’t that Leo? And Sonata too, right? Where are they going? Did they get into a fight with their other party members?"
"No. I don’t think so, man. If you check the rankings, you can see Ouroboros, Luna, Lily, and Nyx all have the same guild tag as Leo. Probably just hit the party cap."
The two players stood off to the side of the main street, watching as Leo’s group passed by. Then one of them squinted and pointed slightly.
"Wait... that guy. That’s the same guy who fought Ouroboros earlier today, right?"
"Yeah. That’s him. Titan or something. He’s new, but people have been talking since that match. Went toe to toe with one of the top damage dealers on the server and didn’t go down."
"No wonder Leo picked him up. Dude’s a tank with real presence. I wonder what kind of class he is?"
"Let’s check the Leaderboards and see what we can find...! Whoa! The dude that came out of nowhere is Level 9?! And as a Brawler at that?!"
"Yeah, but he’s still a level below Ouroboros. Level 9 compared to Ouroboros at 10."
"Still, that’s crazy fast progress. Only about ten percent of players even reach level 5. For him to be Level 9 already is mad impressive."
"Plus as a Brawler too? Barehanded fighting against monsters? You gotta admit that’s pretty fucking metal."
"Seriously. Most players use weapons, but this guy just throws hands. That’s actually so wild."
"No wonder Leo picked him up so fast. Talent like that doesn’t come around often."
Greg lowered his head slightly, keeping his expression calm as he walked past. He took the words in stride, no need to respond. His past as a professional fighter gave him the confidence to know he could handle whatever came next.
The chatter faded behind him as he focused on moving forward with the group.
Penny walked beside Greg, squinting against the bright sun and using him as the perfect shade. She kept sneaking glances at him, trying not to stare but failing spectacularly. Seriously, who dressed this guy? Plain shirt and pants, but somehow he still looked like he stepped out of an action flick. Total hottie.
Her mind was buzzing with thoughts she usually tried to ignore, but today? Nope. He was all muscle and confidence, completely clueless about the effect he was having. It was kind of ridiculous... and kind of awesome.
Penny smirked to herself. Yeah, she wasn’t complaining about having this walking shield next to her. The sun could stay annoying. Greg was way more interesting. She wasn’t eager to fight any monsters honestly but she also knew that it was better to stick with a group rather than go about it alone.
Aria seemed to have noticed Penny’s eyes wandering and couldn’t help but smile lightly. She covered her mouth and began to mumble something but only Penny could hear it, as if the words themselves had been carried on the wind.
"Just so you know, Leo has a musclebound form too you may like~!"
Penny’s smirk disappeared instantly, her cheeks flushing hot with embarrassment. She felt utterly mortified under Aria’s teasing remark but wasn’t about to admit it aloud. Instead, she quickly shot a curious look at Leo, their leader.
He was so cute and pretty that anyone who didn’t know him might mistake him for a girl. There was something delicate and calm about him that made her feel at ease. Like she had known him forever.
Still, Penny wasn’t so sure about Aria’s claim that Leo had a musclebound form. From what she’d seen, he looked more like someone who’d spend his time practicing precise moves rather than bulking up. It didn’t quite fit with the image Aria had painted.
Her eyes flicked away before anyone could notice, but that brief glance unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. She wasn’t ready to face whatever that feeling was when she stared at him talking to the other new member.
Leo walked beside Crystal, glancing at her blindfolded face once more. Though she’d been wearing it for some time, he couldn’t help but ask again, just to be sure.
"Are you really okay keeping that on? I just want to make sure you don’t hurt yourself."
Crystal looked up at him, a small smile touching her lips. She felt a flicker of warmth from his genuine concern.
"I’m fine," she said softly. "I said it before but I can see perfectly fine."
Her tone grew a bit firmer. "But I appreciate you checking in. I can handle myself, Leo."
He nodded, relieved but still watching her carefully. "Alright. If you say so."
They continued on, side by side, the quiet between them comfortable and steady.
Leo walked in silence for a few more steps before speaking again, his voice low and sincere.
"Still, just so you know... if anything happens or if you ever need something, I’ll be there. No matter what."
Crystal didn’t respond right away, but the gentle way her smile lingered said enough. She turned her head slightly, the blindfold shifting just a little as she nodded once.
"Thank you," she said, quiet but genuine.
Behind them, Penny let out a dramatic gagging sound that broke the calm like a slap to the face.
"Oh my god, can you two not flirt so openly in front of the single undead girl? Some of us are trying to survive under this sun without catching feelings, thank you very much."
Leo blinked, caught completely off guard. Crystal’s soft smile turned into a faint chuckle as she covered her mouth politely.
"We weren’t flirting," Leo mumbled.
"Sure you weren’t," Penny replied with a smirk, eyes rolling. "I’m just saying, keep that honeymoon energy to a minimum unless you’re handing out sunglasses and emotional support snacks."
Leo facepalmed as he came to a sudden realization
’Did we just get another version of Lily? The artistic kind?’