Motley Crew

"You've already met Punch, this is Fists, and Baby. I'm the captain, Lloyd. Let's get along!"

As soon as Markus arrived at the group, the Guardian player stepped forward and introduced everyone. Markus could see their handles and guessed their class because of the starting gear. What drew his attention was the large leather satchel at Baby's side. It looked to be made very crudely, but the key was that it was craftsmanship. Markus wondered if this was his chance to snag a new skill.

"You like my bag? I made it myself. If you have the material, I can make you something. I haven't done enough actions to receive a skill yet, so just having access to materials is payment enough."

Despite his large stature, he had a very calm and soothing voice. In fact, everyone in the group seemed to have very pleasant-sounding voices. He suddenly thought of the popular music groups that popped up every now and then.

"Idol group?" Markus murmured out loud.

"Haha, you are an expert indeed!" Fists responded immediately and slapped his palm in excitement.

"That's right. We are actually being sponsored by our producer to play this game. They want us to hone our skills and gain popularity since we're still newbies. Look out for us in the future!"

"Please support us, sir!" Punch followed up with an excited expression. The group dynamic was a little strange, and their names seemed to suggest their musical personalities. Markus wondered if this would be some kind of rock-based idol group. Perhaps their names were random.

"You can't just ask the expert to support us. How about after we settle down camp, let us give you a little concert!"

Normally, he would have rejected such a proposal. However, Markus started to humor the idea of seeking pleasures in game to boost the effectiveness of his talent. He would be only harming himself if he didn't test the effects of music. After nodding, the group suddenly got very excited, causing him to regret it immediately.

'I hope their music isn't terrible…'

The group walked for a while and chatted about random things. They seemed to be very close and had good chemistry. Markus couldn't help but be reminded of his old group of friends that he played games with all the time. They weren't as good, so only he went pro, but playing games was never about winning when everyone was together.

"Alright, here we are."

Once they arrived, Markus immediately frowned. He could tell from his survival skill that the campsite they chose was not very good. However, the group seemed proud of their choice. Markus looked back the way they came and remembered a very nice spot that was easily overlooked. It was just past a boulder and fit all three important qualities: safety, security, and comfort.

"How about we move camp. We should—"

"Sure!" Before he could give a reason, Punch replied to him. She grabbed a few useful things and moved to his side.

"Punch you can't just decide on your own…" Fists looked over at Lloyd and became nervous. Their leader was very proud of her fake survival skills she learned from the internet, and insisted this spot was the best. No one had the heart to complain about how bad it was.

"Ah, well, I guess it can't be helped. Show us the way, mister pro." Although her words were agreeing, her tone carried a hint of shattered pride and vengeance. Lloyd looked at Punch and when they made eye contact, she seemed to convey 'You're dead.'

Punch gulped and grabbed her neck instinctively. "Oh, let me add you to the group chat in case we have to be quiet later."

Markus nodded and accepted their request while leading them to the new spot. He looked at the chat history and saw that they were discussing what song to sing for him. In the end, they decided to do an a cappella version of the theme song from a popular video game.

Markus: "Hello."

Onefingerdeathpunch: "Welcome!"

BabyDeathMetal: "Yo."

Tenthousandfists: "welcome to the group."

FinkLloyd: "Thanks for joining!"

Markus rolled his eyes. He looked at the group that was following behind him, which elicited a cheeky Punch to stick her tongue out at him. 'It's nice to have a good team.' Markus heaved a sigh and kept walking. His pace was neither hurried nor too slow. Once he reached the boulder, he slipped between the trees and the rock and arrived at a very cozy looking opening between tightly packed trees.

"Wooow this spot is amazing how did you find it?" Punch expressed while gawking.

"I saw it on the way here."

"Incredible! This is the difference between newbies and a professional! Please, Mister Expert, sit down and let us do the rest." Tenthousandfists didn't miss the opportunity to bootlick. Markus had noticed after a while of observation that these two seemed related.

Their behavior and even names were similar. Although the game generates an avatar fit for the world, it still held some of the person's original appearance. Because of that, he could see a slight resemblance in their features. They each had very curly hair and bluish-gray eyes. Being stared at so intensely caused Punch to hide behind Lloyd.

Onefingerdeathpunch: "I sense a wolf."

Tenthousandfists: "Where!?"

However, no one replied to him. Markus looked at chat and his eye twitched. He had been staring intensely so he didn't bother saying anything and just turned away. Baby came back into the campsite with a bundle of branches and logs and got to work.

Although Markus didn't do the work himself, he did direct the group with his knowledge, which greatly improved the quality of the camp. After the fire was started and everyone sat down with a sigh, Markus noticed a new notification in his game log.

[Survival has increased to level 2.]

[Survival Level 2

Rank: Mortal

Effect: The quality of campsites and food is increased by 10%->20%.

Message: Nothing like camping under a starry sky.]

'All I did was sit around and give some advice. It seems like teaching is another avenue for growth…'

While in his own world, pondering the mysteries of his talent, the group chat had popped off. Markus didn't have a chance to read through the messages when Fists's voice started to rumble. The deep, natural bass was a heavy contrast to his natural voice. With the background bass established, the group started the song.

At first, they all seemed to be very equal in skill which complimented their synergy. Their notes weaved between each other, and they worked phenomenally together. However, on a solo part of the song, Punch's singing quality suddenly improved. The group finished the song soon after and everyone looked at Punch in shock and awe.

"Sis, tell me the truth, you've been replaced by an alien, right?" Fists was the first to say something. The strange mood instantly turned into a jovial one again. Lloyd cleared her throat and gestured for Punch to give an explanation.

"Well… I suddenly learned the Singing skill. Afterwards, I was able to control my mouth movements and breathing better. Suddenly, the mistakes I never noticed became obvious to me…"

"Hsss that's quite powerful." The group suddenly became excited. They didn't question the sudden enlightenment, but Markus who was sitting on the side became inspired. He had long noticed that the skills in OLYMPUS were more than just statistical improvements. Instead, he saw the true value in skills being the new instincts and knowledge gained.

Others wouldn't be able to notice anything strange about skills in the game, because they would generally acquire skills based on things they already knew how to do. So, the small increase did not change much in them. This would then be internally justified as having a sudden epiphany or improvement. However, since Markus didn't have any ability in some of the skills he gained, and only acquired them due to his talent, he could feel the difference.

Grouping up and settling the campsite took about 15 minutes. That, plus the time they spent preparing and singing, it had already been 20 minutes. Markus wiggled his fingers and felt his injury reaching the end of its duration. Meanwhile, the server clock was slowly ticking over to the next hour. During their journey, the sun had already completely set. Punch took out her staff and tapped the campfire.

"Ignis!"

Fwoosh!

The pile of logs quickly ignited, bringing light and warmth to the party. Markus watched the timer tick down and finally go away, leaving his status clean and clear. He heaved a sigh and took off the sling. He placed the damaged pauldron on the ground and moved his arm around in circles. It was a bit stiff after sitting in the same position for a while.

"Uh…" No one said anything. They didn't know the injury mechanics and just let it be. Punch, however, blushed and turned her head. She didn't believe Markus when he said it was a light injury and instead made things up in her head. She felt weird and embarrassed.

[Night has fallen upon this land. All animals receive a bonus. Monsters have emerged from the underworld.]