New teammates for the dungeon

When the party arrived at the town square Silver Blade found a tall man standing at the side.

 Looking similar to his real life self, the man had broad shoulders and a stern face, eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings and his hair cut short.

Silver Blade immediately signaled her friends.

"Over there, that's the help I invited."

Everyone mustered the tall warrior with interest as they approached him.

Naturally the warrior noticed the group. Before anyone could speak, he bowed politely.

"Watchful Eye, at your service."

"Nice to meet you."

The party welcomed the polite man warmly, curious about his origins as Watchful Eye was about ten years older than Silver Blade.

Only Cyclone looked at the warrior strangely, finding him familiar.

Silver Blade, however, didn't explain more. Watchful Eye was her bodyguard since a few years ago, a martial artist trained by the family and fiercely loyal to her.

But it was up to him if he wanted to disclose information to the group.

The group conversed calmly, Watchful Eye staying true to his profession and instinctively always remaining half a step behind Silver Blade.

Liam found it quite comical. Having dealt with many security guards in his old life, he had an inkling about Watchful Eye's identity.

Fortunately, the group didn't have to wait long until Quickstep received a message, directing someone over.

A tall woman appeared, the wide mage robe not able to hide her perfect figure. With long blond hair and a radiant smile, she approached the group.

Quickstep embraced the newcomer briefly as she prepared to make the introduction.

But apparently it was unnecessary as Cyclone stared with a worshipful gaze, her hands shaking.

"F… fortune! You are fortune! I'm your biggest fan!"

The newcomer was obviously used to such a scene. She smiled brightly, her eyes prideful as they swiped the party, reveling in the attention.

But her gaze stopped at Bleary Mirage, who showed no signs of recognizing her, leaving her puzzled.

Bleary Mirage noticed the look, smiling calmly:

"Welcome to the party."

Cyclone turned her head, looking at Liam strangely:

"Expert, could it be that you don't recognize Fortune?"

"I… guess not? Should I?"

"Of course! She is a MyTube legend, probably one of the most famous gamers in the federation! Don't tell me you never heard of her!"

Liam looked at the other party members, noticing that even Silver Blade seemed to recognize the name. He could only shake his head.

Cynthia wore a disbelieving expression, but Fortune waved at her.

"I'm glad about your enthusiasm. I'm sure we will have time to get to know each other.

Quickstep invited me, hinting that this party has potential. I hope I won't be disappointed."

"No no! We are the best! I promise!"

Cyclone spoke with bright eyes, already sticking closely to Fortune, utterly starstruck.

But Bleary Mirage stated skeptically:

"It's fine if you want to make content. But don't leak strategies. You can only upload dungeons after we beat them."

"Don't worry, I have been gaming long enough. I understand the basics."

Liam nodded his head, trusting that she knew the rules as a successful content creator.

"Alright, then we can leave."

"To the dungeon!", exclaimed Cyclone happily.

"And thus, we set off, ready to claim our achievement. But what awaited us there… no one could've foreseen!"

Fortune walked at the back of the group, speaking in a dramatic voice.

Suddenly Cyclone and Balm popped up before her.

"Ahh! Fortune, are you recording? Will this be cut in? Will I be in one of your videos?!"

Fortune smiled, her voice calm.

"Of course. If everything goes well, you will be permanent guests in my videos. But for them to be seen by many people, I need you to behave naturally, alright?"

Cyclone and Balm looked at each other with sparkling eyes. They straightened their backs, walking at the side of the party and scanning the surroundings as if a huge threat was waiting in the forest.

Liam was amused by their antics as he led the party. He could only hope that the presence of a content creator wouldn't lead to careless mistakes.

The veteran's thoughts wandered to his old life, where his teammates also liked to produce videos at the side. But he never joined them, not considering his personality interesting enough.

After a while a commotion could be heard, stopping Liam's train of thought. Raylar's Temple came into view, with a large crowd gathered outside, staring angrily at the entrance.

"F*ck! Do you think you can monopolize the dungeon?"

"There are so many of us, open the way!"

"Yeah, square off, damn it!"

A grim-faced warrior confronted the crowd, blocking the temple's entrance with a few others.

"Hmpf! What can all of you do? Small fry! Go home and don't waste space!"

Another man with black tattoos on his face stood next to the grim-faced warrior.

"Bear is right. Some of you even level five, what do you want to do here?"

"Go home and cry to your moms!"

One of the players below the temple couldn't stand it anymore. With an angry bellow he rushed up, hacking at Bear.

The warrior smiled, raising a shield to defend.

The attacker was immediately marked with a red name.

Suddenly a disparaging voice could be heard from the temple.

"Really, original nephilim, a den of criminals."

A light flashed out of the entrance, hitting the red-named player squarely in the chest.

The poor man died on the spot, not even able to react.

"Hehe, let me tell you: This dungeon will be cleared by our guilds Beast Den and Morning Glow!

Rember these names, you ants!"

At the back of the crowd, Cyclone stared ahead in confusion.

"What is happening?"

"Two guilds are trying to monopolize the dungeon."

"But who attacked just now?", asked Silver Blade similarly puzzled, looking at Liam for an answer.

"The NPC within the temple. He's the type to attack red-named players on sight.

The guilds are making use of him."

"Are guilds already a thing?"

"Not officially, no."

"What glaring injustice! Friends, we need to do something in the name of all the heroes of this world!"

Radiant Shield's face showed righteous indignation, eager to punish the evildoers.

Suddenly Fortune appeared next to him, a peculiar look in her eyes.

"Great, who would've thought your party is hiding such a talent?! Can you repeat this? Tilt your head a bit more, maybe ball your fists."

Radiant Shield froze in place, embarrassed by the attention. Fortune was famous and beautiful, a deadly combination for the usually nerdy gamer.

But Bloody Edge saw the opportunity. He sneaked behind Radiant Shield, putting on a cold face.

"Lurking in the dark to rid the world of darkness. Such is my mission."

While Fortune smiled brightly, Liam shook his head, pondering on how to deal with the situation. He thought about killing form a distance but getting rid of their red names would take too much time.

Liam swiped the crowd before stopping on Fortune, an idea forming in his mind. Silver Blade was thinking about the issue as well, watching strangely as Bleary Mirage began whispering something to the newest member.

Obviously Fortune wasn't overly enthusiastic but agreed anyways.

Under Liam's lead the party pushed through the crowd, reaching the front. Going up a few stairs they turned around to face the players.

With their moves they already drew most of the attention. But as Fortune took a step forward, all eyes were fixated on her.

Murmurs ran through the crowd.

"Isn't this…"

"It should be, right?"

"My goddess… I have seen my goddess!"

Women and men alike stared at the gorgeous celebrity.

Silent Acacia pouted, taking half a step forward and hoping for some reaction. But no one minded him.

The thief's eye twitched, considering himself no less famous than Fortune among gamers.

You ignorants are only lusting after beauty!

Quickstep watched from the side, giggling as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand.

Meanwhile Fortune began to speak:

"Players, don't be intimidated by these brutes! With our numbers they stand no chance! Let's push our way in. Just don't attack!"

It didn't need many words to get the idea across. The players were long dissatisfied with the two guilds, only waiting for someone to take the lead.

"Lady Fortune is right! Let's advance together!"

"Yeah, show them our fury!"

Fortune's smile froze as the ocean of players began surging up the stairs. She hastily turned around, catching up with her party.

Above, the guild members felt their legs tremble.

"Boss, what… should we do?"

"D… don't move! We can't let them in!"

Liam's party was the first to arrive. Keeping their hands strictly to themselves, the tried to push the guild players away.

A short stalemate ensued.

But it didn't last long. When the crowd arrived, the guild players felt their bodies turn numb, mercilessly shoved into the small room behind them.

Cyclone was squeezed between bodies, cursing Liam:

"Mirage! Do something! I can't breathe!"

Liam was at the front of the group. He directly turned towards the NPCs nearby. Powerful, white-robed warriors protected a priest in their middle, no player able to get close.

"Priest, I seek to break Reylar's Curse."

"You? Did you come to throw your l…"

"Stop yapping, I accept your quest."

The priest had a shocked expression, but the quest was given out, nevertheless.

Liam accepted quickly. Touching the large door upfront, he and his party vanished abruptly.