Yuto logged in the next evening, intending to play for just a few minutes—just enough to poke around and see if he still remembered how to swing his sword. But the second he appeared in the game world, a familiar name popped up in his chat window.  

He smirked. Somehow, he’d known she’d be around.  

[Lilya]: Haha, well, it’s good to see you didn’t quit after your slime incident. Want to run a few quests? We can get your level up so you won’t have to live in fear of small, squishy monsters. :P  

Yuto couldn’t help but chuckle. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and it made the idea of grinding through quests a lot less tedious.  

---

As the two ran through quests, slaying monsters and collecting random items (why on earth did a giant boar drop ten pieces of fabric?), Lilya casually mentioned her guild.  

[Lilya]: You know, I’m part of a pretty great guild—The Potato Brigade. We’re laid-back but helpful, and we’ve got some hilarious members. You’d fit right in. Want to join?  

Yuto raised an eyebrow. Potato Brigade? What kind of name was that?  

[RookieKing]: The... Potato Brigade? Really?  

[Lilya]: Don’t mock the potato. Potatoes are versatile and reliable—just like us. :)  

Yuto snorted, shaking his head in amusement. This game was ridiculous, but at least it wasn’t boring.  

Moments later, the system notified him of his new guild membership.  

---

The guild chat immediately lit up with activity:  

[Cornelious von Gerbil]: Nugget, you haven’t shown up for a raid in months.  

[Kaze]: Newbie or not, just don’t stand in the fire. That’s the only rule that matters.  

The lively banter in the guild chat made Yuto grin. These people were ridiculous. But something about their carefree humour put him at ease. He could see why Lilya liked them.  

[RookieKing]: Thanks, everyone. I’ll do my best not to stand in any fires.  

[Cornelious von Gerbil]: A noble goal. But just in case you fail, we’ll laugh about it later.  

---

As the evening went on, Yuto found himself immersed not just in the game, but in the camaraderie of The Potato Brigade. They weren’t like other online communities he’d heard horror stories about. These players were weird, but in the best way—supportive, sarcastic, and always ready to poke fun at each other.  

He was halfway through a dungeon with Lilya and Nugget when a thought struck him.  

Why am I actually enjoying this?  

He’d only meant to log in for a few minutes, but here he was, hours later, laughing at dumb jokes in the guild chat and learning how to dodge fireballs from angry spellcasters.  

“Maybe this game isn’t so bad after all,” he muttered under his breath.  

As they reached the dungeon boss—a hulking beast with glowing red eyes—Lilya gave him one last tip in the chat.  

[Lilya]: Just stay behind the tank and attack when I say. Easy, right?  

Yuto took a deep breath. Sure. Easy.  

And with that, he charged into battle with the rest of The Potato Brigade.  

---

Meanwhile, Hana leaned back in her chair, feeling content. It had been a good run tonight—RookieKing was shaping up to be a surprisingly quick learner, and the guild had welcomed him with open arms.  

She glanced at the clock, noting how late it was. Another long night... but totally worth it. Something about playing with RookieKing was different. It wasn’t just about helping a newbie—it was fun in a way she hadn’t expected.  

As she shut down her computer for the night, Hana smiled to herself. Maybe the world wasn’t so scary after all... at least not when you had a Potato Brigade at your side.