Marcus stepped out of the shower, towel slung loosely over his shoulders, with his thoughts drifting almost immediately to Willow.

She was already his woman. That fact alone still felt unreal sometimes. If things continued the way they were going, maybe he could persuade her to move somewhere closer to him. It would make everything easier. Seeing each other would not require planning, excuses, or long trips across campus.

The idea lingered longer than expected.

Just thinking about her, the quiet elegance she carried and the effortless charm that always surrounded her, made him reach for his phone without hesitation. Before he could reconsider, he placed the call.

"Marcus."

Her face appeared on the screen.

She looked like she had just finished her evening routine, dressed in a light nightgown that softened her already gentle presence. The dim lighting of her room wrapped around her figure, hinting at graceful curves without revealing too much. Her skin looked fresh from the shower, slightly flushed, and for a moment Marcus simply stared.

Instant regret followed.

If he had known she would answer looking like this, he might have skipped dinner at Talia’s entirely and gone straight to Willow instead. He could have been there beside her right now rather than watching through a screen.

Fortunately, both Willow and Talia lived near Crestwood. Distance was no longer an obstacle.

"Willow, what are you doing?"

He said her name softly, naturally, the way someone spoke to a person they thought about often.

Her heartbeat immediately quickened. She noticed the warmth in his eyes and recognized the unmistakable attention in his expression. A faint blush rose across her cheeks.

"Marcus... I just got out of the shower. I was planning to play a little before going to bed."

She lowered her gaze slightly, shy despite herself. The truth was she had been thinking about him moments earlier, and then his call came through as if they shared the same thought.

"Play? Play what?"

He raised a brow. Was she gaming now too?

"I’m playing Dominion. Lily and the others told me you were all playing, so they helped me set everything up. They installed my gaming pod this afternoon. They said we’d play together." She paused, then added softly, "You weren’t home, so they couldn’t tell you."

Right. He had been out all day.

"Heh."

Marcus laughed awkwardly.

"I had some things to handle today. Just got back. The girls are already in-game, so I haven’t heard the details yet. When you log in, message me. My character’s Stonehaven. Knight class."

The thought of seeing Willow inside the game world stirred a surprising amount of anticipation.

Willow, however, only grew more flustered. One moment he spoke her name gently, the next he looked at her with that focused attention that made her feel chosen. She knew there were other women around him, knew the situation was complicated, yet none of that erased how happy she felt right now.

Not a single regret.

"Mhm. Lily told me your name already."

She nodded, gathering courage before continuing.

"Marcus... I was thinking of playing a knight too. What do you think?"

"That works," he replied immediately. "Pick whatever class you enjoy. As long as you’re happy."

"Okay."

Her smile softened. The truth was she did not care about classes at all. She simply wanted to share the same path as him. If he was a knight, then she would be one too.

After a moment, her voice lowered.

"Marcus... I was thinking of calling myself Nyxie in-game."

"Nyxie?"

Warmth spread through him instantly. The name carried meaning, quiet and personal.

"Wow... sounds cute, I love it."

The words slipped out naturally, and her blush deepened at once.

"Marcus..."

She glanced at him with a half-complaining, half-embarrassed look.

"I’ll message you when I log in."

Before he could respond further, she ended the call quickly, clearly overwhelmed. Marcus stared at the darkened screen and chuckled.

That composed, confident woman becoming shy so easily around him struck a completely different chord in his heart. He almost wished she had stayed on the call longer.

Shaking his head, he climbed into his gaming pod.

Light burst across his vision. When it faded, Marcus materialized once more inside the first level of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.

Messages immediately flooded in. He began replying one by one.

"FreshwindElara, I’m trapped in here," he sent dramatically.

It truly had been a long time since they last met. He missed adventuring alongside her, but this dungeon quest had effectively locked him away.

"Stone, you’re online! What’s wrong? Where are you? Are you busy?"

"I’m stuck inside the First Emperor’s Tomb."

"The First Emperor’s Tomb?" she asked in surprise. "Stone, is this a quest?"

"Yeah."

As he guided Blackie forward through the maze, marking the walls to avoid losing his way again, he explained the Eagle’s Crest mission in detail.

"Stone... that sounds dangerous. Be careful."

Her voice softened with genuine concern. If she were beside him, she could support him with buffs and healing, but distance kept her away.

"I wish I could help."

"Don’t worry, Elara. I’ve got this. Just wait for the good news."

"Okay."

She nodded even though he could not see it, trusting his strength despite her worry.

"Message me when you’re out," she added quietly. Then, almost shyly, "Stone... it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you."

"I know."

The warmth in his chest surprised him.

"You still haven’t ridden my Nightmare Dragon Steed."

Her tone brightened instantly. "Right! Stone, can I really ride your divine mount?"

"Of course."

He grinned.

"Blackie can fly now. When the time comes, we’ll ride together. Wherever you want to go, we’ll go."

’Together.’

Even through the screen, her face heated. Calm and composed FreshwindElara found herself blushing at words he delivered so casually.

"You..."

She hesitated, embarrassed.

"Annoying," she muttered softly, though happiness lingered in her voice. "Who said I want to ride with you?"

He laughed, refusing to back down.

"My Elara’s flying with me."

"You...!"

She could not handle his teasing anymore.

"Stone, you’re shameless. I’m going leveling with Icefall and Firebrand."

Those twin sorceresses again. Just thinking about them made him sigh. Before disconnecting, however, her voice softened once more.

"Stone... be careful. Message me when you can."

"I will."

The call ended. Next came Anya and Chloe.

They were currently running mercenary quests while grinding levels. Their equipment had improved significantly thanks to purchases from Old Vine’s auction house. Chloe now wielded the Skeleton Blade Marcus had previously used, upgraded to +7 using Dreamland Gems. Her attack power had become frighteningly strong. Even enemies several levels above them would struggle to overwhelm the pair.

He felt reassured knowing they were progressing smoothly.

Meanwhile Marcus advanced through different sections of the tomb while chatting constantly with Lily, and the others. The Mad Lion Mercenary Group channel remained lively as well, filled with nonstop conversation. Despite wandering alone through a massive labyrinth, Marcus never truly felt isolated.

The only annoyance was switching between chat channels repeatedly.

Once this quest ended, he planned to bring all the women into the Mercenary Group. The idea alone gave him a mild headache. Putting everyone together in one place might create complications he was not prepared to handle yet.

He shook his head. That problem belonged to the future.

He had already navigated the first-level maze twice before, but It did not help as he still got lost.

Once again, it took over ten hours to locate the hidden hall leading downward. The process repeated itself exactly as before: eliminate the stone grunts, activate the four golem statues, collect the four keys, and unlock the concealed passage.

At last, Marcus stepped into the familiar cavern of the second level.

"I’m back."

Relief nearly made him laugh. One moment of distraction earlier had forced him to redo the entire maze, costing him enormous time. As expected, the four golem statues still dropped nothing worthwhile.

He opened the level leaderboard. Everyone else had gained at least one level while he remained trapped here.

Compared to those relentless grinders who played nonstop, he needed to accelerate his progress.

"Heh."

Then he remembered the level 48 monsters waiting on this floor, and a sharp grin spread across his face.

Without hesitation, he reset his Wanderlust teleport point at his current position and charged forward.

This area was packed with tightly clustered level 48 enemies. It was a perfect leveling territory.

He still intended to complete the quest, but an opportunity like this could not be ignored. He would grind here first, push himself to at least level 45 before advancing to the third level.

And the three elite monsters unique to this floor, the Corpse Soul Digger Demon, the Wailing Wandering Soul King, and the Shovel Bricklayer Ghost, were resources too valuable to waste.

No other players could access this map yet. For now, the entire second level belonged to him alone.