COZMART: Corner Shop of Visiting Gods

Two days after the RealmNet incident, Eathan found himself dragging his battered soul into the campus coffee shop, Luke chattering animatedly at his side.

"Bro, you didn't tell me your boss was so young!" Luke exclaimed, nearly spilling his cold brew.

Eathan rubbed his temple. "He's… not young."

Luke didn't seem to hear him—or chose not to. "Yeah, yeah. What is he? Twenty-five? Thirty? Big difference. Either way, he's crushing it."

Eathan sighed into his coffee, bracing himself as Luke leaned closer, dropping his voice conspiratorially.

"Ever since that smackdown at CHN 104, people—especially girls—have been asking me about the 'one with idol hair.'" Luke waggled his brows exaggeratedly. "I told them you were tight with him."

"You didn't—"

"I did!" he said, beaming. "I'm your agent now. Anyway, listen. Birthday bash this weekend. Rooftop, infinity pool, DJ—the works. You gotta bring him."

Eathan choked on his drink. "You want him—Mister White—at your birthday party?"

"Come on, man!" Luke pleaded, slapping Eathan's shoulder. "You can't just hoard a living K-drama protagonist! Let the rest of us mortals bask in that shine a little!"

"I don't—he's not—he doesn't—" Eathan stammered, completely cornered.

Luke's grin widened. "Promise you'll ask."

At that moment, a chime sounded in his ears:

[SYSTEM] NOTIFICATION

[Side Quest (new!)]

Survive the mortal social gathering without divine outbreak!

Reward: +100 Karma, +25 Qi Tokens, 3% Integrity

"…Fine," Eathan muttered, already seeing his life flash before his eyes.

***

Back at COZMART, the fluorescent lights buzzed softly overhead as Eathan nursed his dread like a wounded animal.

"Mister White," he started hesitantly, approaching the counter where Taeril sipped a lazy espresso, scrolling on a holopad.

"Hm?"

"Uh... My friend's birthday party is this weekend. I was wondering if, maybe—you'd want to come?" Eathan stumbled through the words like they were booby-trapped.

To his shock, the white-haired man responded almost immediately.

"Sure."

He blinked. "...Wait, really?"

Taeril sipped his coffee. "Curious about college entertainment trends."

A slight glint passed through his obsidian eyes that made Eathan's stomach twist in terror. Before he could process what he'd gotten himself into, Taeril casually turned his head toward the high stools by the windows.

"Chewie. Fieldwork training. Observe mortal herd behaviour."

The eleven-year-old, perched on a stool doing calculus homework, looked up without missing a beat. "Acknowledged. Dress code?"

"Whatever keeps you mobile," Taeril said, unbothered.

Eathan's brain short-circuited slightly. This is not how normal people RSVP to birthday parties.

However, it didn't stop there. Without warning, Taeril pulled out his wristpad and called Li Wei—during coffee time, no less.

"Captain Li," he said mildly once the line picked up. "Rift uptick around mortal gatherings lately. Better bring a portable detector. Drinks on the intern."

Silence.

Then, a very long, very weary sigh on the other end.

"...Fine. If he's paying for food too."

Taeril smiled faintly, victorious, while Eathan just stared at him, speechless.

Sorry Luke, he apologised inwardly, I might be bringing a natural disaster unit to your party.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

***

The party was held on Saturday night at Luke's family villa.

The villa was perched atop the hills, dripping luxury from every glass panel and infinity pool edge.

The rooftop buzzed with students in semi-formal outfits—slick suits, glittering dresses, high-end sneakers. A DJ booth lit up one side with deep bass vibrations. Giant catering tables groaned under mountains of food. About a hundred students milled about, laughing, flirting, and posing for social media.

Eathan, in his uncomfortably stiff button-down, adjusted his sleeves nervously by the entryway.

And then, the immortals arrived.

The entire party seemed to shift when they stepped through.

First came Taeril—his silver hair gleaming under the rooftop lights, dressed in neutral casual wear, simple but devastatingly sleek. He walked in like a black card came to life. Next was Chewie, who looked no different from usual—still in her school uniform—but with a hulking black leather jacket tossed over her shoulders. She marched straight to the food table and stayed there, mistaken instantly by mortals as either an anime cosplayer or an underground idol.

Li Wei blended into the background, wearing a black hoodie and tactical jeans, his baseball cap low over his eyes. If you didn't look too closely, you'd think he was just an overworked, semi-retired bodyguard—except for the eyes that tracked every movement like a trained sniper.

And last—because chaos wasn't enough already—Quine Long strolled in, uninvited but fully committed.

"What is he doing here?" Eathan gaped, while Li Wei just shrugged a sigh.

Quine wore designer streetwear that was casual enough to fit in, but tailored enough to evoke double-takes. Loose dark slacks, silk shirt half-buttoned, hair slicked back artfully. He was let in by the students immediately. Strolling past the entrance gates, he winked at a group of undergrads, leaving a trail of dazzled sighs behind him.

When Luke-the-birthday-boy saw all of them gather near the front, he nearly dropped his drink. He leaned into Eathan's side. "Bro," he whispered urgently. "You brought K-drama and webtoon leads?! I've seriously underestimated you."

Eathan only laughed weakly in return.

The rooftop party exploded into motion. The DJ cranked up the bass, string lights twinkled overhead, and students flooded the dance floor or milled by the food tables, energy buzzing high.

Chewie, stationed like a general beside the dessert table, was already causing minor havoc. She had somehow commandeered a tray of mini cupcakes and was handing them out without asking, stabbing them one by one onto paper plates, as if she were distributing battlefield rations.

A drunk frat guy stumbled past, sloshing his beer over the corner of her leather jacket.

Chewie's gaze sharpened instantly.

The guy, blissfully unaware of the grave error he'd just committed, gave her a clumsy thumbs-up. "Nice cosplay!"

A hush fell over the nearby tables as the eleven-year-old's aura dropped ten degrees. Her small hand twitched towards her hidden blade—before Eathan sprinted across the snack bar to intercept her.

"Cupcakes," he hissed, thrusting two in her hands. "Chewie, remember! We are at a mortal gathering!"

She scowled faintly but relented, biting into the cupcake with a low grumble.

Meanwhile, Li Wei stood stiffly by a corner, drink in hand, scanning the crowd like a deeply exhausted bouncer. "I should be fixing node leaks," he muttered under his breath. "Not playing mortal chaperone."

If mortals hadn't been swooning over his rugged hoodie-tactical jeans combo, he would've already staged a quiet evacuation.

Quine Long, however, thrived.

Decked in expensive streetwear, the Azure Dragon moved like a shark through warm water—grinning, charming, dropping casual compliments that made students light up like firecrackers. A girl giggled as he handed her a drink; another boy practically combusted when Quine brushed a hand along his shoulder.

In contrast, Taeril had become an unwilling celebrity. Students flocked to him like moths, armed with wide eyes and mini cameras.

"Are you an exchange student?"

"Do you model??"

"What's your skincare routine???"

"Genetics," Taeril lied calmly, sipping a soda from a red cup.

Eathan, clutching his own lukewarm drink, tried to blend in and absolutely failed. He watched helplessly as chaos bloomed around him.

Quine got dragged into a beer pong game—only to win without even touching the cups. Balls seemed to curve toward the target, as if the laws of physics casually decided to simp for him.

Li Wei, stationed grimly at the snack bar, shoved a handful of pretzels into his mouth with a grimness dragging down his face. "I'm too mortal for this shit"—was what he heard the man mutter under his breath.

The real catastrophe, however, started when Taeril and Quine inevitably ended up roped into a round of King's Cup.

It began harmlessly enough. A group of mortals, delighted by the idea of dragging the "CHN sub-prof" and the "exchange student" into party games, shuffled cards with giddy anticipation.

It ended with two immortal entities casually dominating the table without even trying.

On one end of the table was Taeril, smiling faintly as he palmed cards with lazy precision. On the other was Quine, sipping from a solo cup, who returned the favour by calling "rules" that slowly warped the game into a battlefield of psychological warfare.

You would think it was a casual drinking game.

You would be wrong.

Each command was a veiled strike. Each chug was a silent flex. Each laugh from the crowd only fuelled the silent, competitive inferno between them. Eathan broke out into a cold sweat just watching.

This wasn't a party—this was an undeclared duel.

Sliding desperately toward the snack bar, he sidled up next to Li Wei and whispered, "Captain, what kind of drunk are they?! Are we about to lose Luke's villa?"

Li Wei calmly set his seltzer can down. "Clause 47B of the Boundary Conduct Ordinance: Any property damage exceeding $50,000 mortal equivalent must be reported immediately to the Earthly Court Branch."

He pointed subtly at Taeril, who—while smiling serenely—was swapping every alcoholic drink placed in front of him with regular soda using sleight of hand so fast it blurred.

Eathan gawked. "He's been sober the whole time?!"

Li Wei nodded grimly. "Taeril's self-imposed protocols. Never get drunk at a civilian event unless you intend to raze the enemy capital afterward. Plus, the man absolutely detests alcohol."

"And Quine Long?"

Li Wei shrugged, expression almost pitying.

"Lost cause."

At the table, Quine was halfway through stacking a perfect pyramid of solo cups with a devil-may-care grin. Before Eathan could decide whether to be impressed or horrified—

[SYSTEM] NOTIFICATION

[Side Quest (new!)]

Seal Rift L-1333!

▸ Identify and neutralise rift anomaly at mortal gathering (Progress: 0%)

Eathan froze mid-breath.

"No way."

His head whipped toward the far side of the pool deck, where the fairy lights flickered strangely—and a faint ripple distorted the air above the water, leading into the villa itself.

Not during Luke's birthday party!

He shot a glance at Taeril. The man caught his panicked look across the crowd—and raised his solo cup in cheers.

"…"

Eathan's hands tightened on the barcode scanner tucked inside his jacket. He sighed.

So much for a stress-relieving night.