Arriving at the merchant caravan, Jin’s frustration deepened. Clickable seats, which were once free, now cost 5 copper each. Talking to the merchant revealed they could either pay for seats or walk alongside the caravan for free. Another rip-off from the stingy system.

With only 6 copper coins between them, it wasn’t enough for all six to ride. One of them could go ahead, promise to come back for the others, and then ditch them. If the five little idiots weren’t temporarily important, Jin would’ve loved that idea. Instead, he motioned for the group to follow him away from the caravan.

“Since we can’t get a free ride, I’ll figure something out. Stay here,” Jin told them.

He walked back to the caravan merchant, ready to channel his inner idiot and put on a show.

Jin bumped into a merchant loading barrels onto the back of the wagon. What was supposed to be a light nudge turned into a full-on collision, and Jin ended up sprawled on the cobblestone road. His head swam as the world grayed around him, a strange cold spreading through his body and stiffening his limbs. It felt disturbingly similar to what had happened the day before when he stubbed his toe.

“Traveller? Sir, traveller?”

The merchant’s voice was full of concern. Perfect. Jin shifted into his most pathetic persona—the one he’d perfected as a kid to get treats from his mother.

Fluttering his eyelashes, Jin looked up at the merchant, his voice trembling.

“I’m sorry, kind sir. That was my fault. I wasn’t paying attention, you see… you see, the Mage’s Tower… oh no… whatever will I do?”

The merchant knelt beside him, his face softening further. Hook, line, and sinker. Time to reel him in.

“Traveller, sir? Are you headed to Silverledge City?”

Jin nodded weakly, layering on the dramatics.

“My friends and I… we were summoned by Sir Acshellis. Bandits have been attacking our village. The elders didn’t dare send someone at first, but Sir Acshellis promised he’d come once he knew the details. We… we were robbed on the way. We walked all night to get here. It was so scary, but we believe in Sir Acshellis…”

He sniffled, his voice wavering as he delivered the line.

“Don’t cry. Here, let me help you up,” the merchant said, his tone brimming with pity.

The man hauled Jin to his feet with ease. Jin immediately swayed, his legs trembling beneath him, and the merchant grabbed him before he could fall again.

“You can’t walk like this.”

The swaying wasn’t part of the act. Whatever had drained him earlier hadn’t subsided, leaving him genuinely weak. Jin clutched at the merchant’s arm with a shaking hand.

“We have to. We must get to Sir Acshellis. We can’t let them kill more of our villagers. My whole family is gone now. It’s only me. I must get to… get to… Acshellis.”

Acshellis. Acshellis. Acshellis. If his husband wasn’t going to swoop in and save him, Jin was at least going to milk his name for all it was worth.

The merchant’s eyes filled with tears.

“You’ve suffered greatly, sir traveller. I’ll talk to the boss. We have space.”

“No, I couldn’t ask for such a large favor. We have only a few copper coins, hidden in our boots for emergencies.”

“Nonsense. It’s the caravan’s code to help those who need it. Come, can you stand alone?”

“No, kind sir. I’m sorry. I feel so weak… so weak…”

“Let me help you. You and your friends will ride with us today.”

For a split second, Jin nearly muttered, Thanks, but you’re not my type. Instead, he allowed the merchant to lift him onto the wagon’s edge between the barrels.

“Sir traveller, I’ll fetch your friends. Don’t get off this wagon,” the merchant instructed.

“Thank you… it’s been so hard. We’re in your debt.”

“Nonsense. Rest assured, we’ll take you straight to the Mage’s Tower.”

Jin leaned against the wagon’s edge, struggling to keep the smirk off his face. Acshellis’s name had worked wonders. The long con was in motion, and for now, the five little idiots were someone else’s problem.

That didn’t make Jin feel reassured, but it was what he was, and he was a superb actor. It was his blessing and his curse.

After retrieving the five little idiots, the merchant didn’t help them up, much to their disgust. Cramming six fully grown male adults into such a limited space made it unbearably cramped. For some reason, Jin ended up with Seiichiro pressed against him. When his frienemy punched his arm, real pain shot through Jin, and he seriously thought he might faint.

“What was that? We all knew you were a weakling, but you fell over like it was for real,” Seiichiro snorted.

There was no way Jin would admit the truth. If the five little idiots found out, they’d promptly abandon him and tease him to death. Putting on a smile, he shrugged.

“Don’t you have siblings? With two brothers, you need to know how to fake it and get your sibling revenge. Anyway, I told the merchant we’re on a very important mission to the Mage’s Tower, sent by our village. Don’t complain, or we’ll end up walking. If he asks, just say we have a meeting with Sir Acshellis. He works there.”

Seiichiro stared at him blankly. “Who?”

How was it possible for them to be this stupid? Jin knew for a fact they’d played the game for months.

“Sir Acshellis,” Jin said, his tone sharp. “He’s a fire mage at the Mage’s Tower. We’re going to see him about the bandit problem near our village. We’ve only got a copper coin each because the rest was stolen. Stick to the story, and I’ll figure out the rest.”

Seiichiro huffed. “I don’t think I like your attitude. You’re not better than us just because you played this game more.”

The little idiot was right—being better than them wasn’t just because he’d played more. He was simply better than them in every conceivable way.

“I know, I know. I’m just trying to get us to the city. It’s a half-hour ride. I’m going to nap.”

“You’re going to sleep?! Like this? With these people?!”

Jin already liked the merchant far more than his companions. “Yes, yes, I am. We haven’t slept yet, and I’m tired. Talk amongst yourselves, but don’t forget the story. We’re travelers on an important mission, and we were robbed. Keeping quiet for half an hour is better than walking six hours.”

By the time they arrived in Silverledge, Jin felt somewhat better. The merchant even helped him down from the cart, which was more than the others deserved. Idiots three, four, and five had started complaining about being tired despite being rocked to sleep on the back of a wagon.

At level 40, players unlocked their first mount—a chubby little horse barely bigger than a pony, its stubby legs offering only a 50% movement speed boost. These were actual horses, with 200% movement speed and buffs because they were NPC-owned.

Dusting himself off, Jin was startled when the merchant took his arm. Apparently, the man had taken a liking to him.

“Let me show you the way to the Mage’s Tower,” the merchant offered warmly.

The Mage’s Tower wasn’t hard to find—anyone with eyes could see it. Made from smooth white Sunderland Quartz mined 600 years ago, it stood as tall as Tokyo Tower, its domed top capped with a portal to Diamentia, the game’s largest city. Players couldn’t use that portal without grinding Mage Tower faction reputation. Jin’s rank had reached Exalted shortly before snagging his husband, but that was beside the point.

He wasn’t planning to see Acshellis. Not until the man grovelled or it became unavoidable.

Politely, Jin shook his head. “We can make it from here.”

“No, no, I insist. I told you I’d deliver you, and I’m a man of my word,” the merchant replied.

Jin sighed inwardly. That old curse—being an excellent actor—was inconveniencing his plans yet again.

“My friends and I can manage,” he said carefully. “Please, you’ve done more than enough.”

“I’ll see you to the doorway. Let me spend a few more moments with you.”

The NPC was clingy, which Jin found irritating. His husband clung too, but at least Acshellis was good-looking enough to compensate. Seeing his objections were getting nowhere, Jin allowed himself to be dragged along.

The Mage’s Tower loomed ahead, a glimmering monument at the intersection of the city’s four main roads. Jin wasn’t worried about getting lost; the structure was impossible to miss.

At the foot of the tower, the merchant finally stopped. “Alas, sir traveler, I can go no further.”

Thank god. Jin arranged his face into an expression of gratitude, fluttering his eyelashes for good measure.

“No, no. Kind sir, you’ve done more than enough.”

“I shall wait until you speak with the guards.”

“Oh, no, we couldn’t possibly ask that of you. The gate is right there, and we don’t want you getting in trouble with your caravan.”

Reluctantly, the merchant seemed to accept this. Jin hastily pressed a copper coin into his hand, hoping to speed the goodbye along.

“Take this as a token of our gratitude,” Jin said, stepping toward the guards.

When he glanced back, the merchant was gone. Jin rolled his eyes. So much for loyalty. He wished the NPC would catch something nasty and die a slow, miserable death.

With the merchant gone, the five little idiots trotted up to him. Shin crossed his arms, looking annoyed.

“Dude! What was that? You’re not one of those, are you?”

“Are you seriously asking if I’m gay? Never mind that—now he’s gone, let’s get the gold.”

“Weren’t we going to see the mage?”

“Nope. That was just to get us to the city. I’m not stepping foot in the Mage Tower without gold.”

“But we could ask them to send us home!”

“They don’t know us,” Jin snapped. “If six strangers start ranting about another world, we’ll end up locked up and experimented on. Come on, the guild entrance is this way.”

As they approached the glowing purple portal marking the guild entrance, Jin felt a small thrill despite himself. Seeing it in real life drove home just how far removed they were from their old world.

“Shin, you’d say you’re the leader of this party and I’m just following, right?” Jin asked casually.

“Yeah, of course I’m the leader,” Shin replied suspiciously. “Why?”

“Oh, just wondering. Want me to go in first, or are you going to do it?”

“I’m not scared of some dumb portal,” Shin huffed.

Before Shin could nominate someone else, Jin added, “If you’re not scared, then be the first from our world to walk through a real magic portal. Imagine that.”

The bait worked. Shin puffed up, marched toward the portal, and was promptly sucked in. Jin jogged after him, muttering under his breath. The little idiot better not screw this up.