New Game Plus: I crave challenges

Liam and Silver Blade alighted the teleporter, arriving on a low hill amidst a busy crowd.

From their position they could see a sprawling city, densely populated, with large, paved roads and a mix of wooden and stone houses.

Steam rose form the many chimneys, a sign of prosperity, characteristic of the high-quality homes.

The streets were mostly filled with humans, albeit a few other races were mixed in.

When Bleary Mirage and Silver Blade appeared, a group of people suddenly waved their hands, already waiting for them.

"Friends, what took you so long?"

"Young lady."

"Come on guys, let's help Cy!"

Liam couldn't help but grin as his friends warmly welcomed him.

[Discovered Svebrial. Reward: 50EXP]

[970/2200 EXP]

Ignoring the notifications flashing before him, Liam convened with his party. They joked around as they made their way into the city.

A large, strictly guarded arc separated the teleporters from the core of the city. A corridor was above the arc, from which guards with heavy crossbows and even some in mage robes observed the roads.

"Those guys look like they have some power.", commented Silent Acacia solemnly.

"Yes. Svebrial is one of the strongest cities in the world. Not only is it the capital city of the Striving Basilisk Empire but it also has the famous magic academy.

Together with its large walls the city pretty much counts as unshakable."

Even Silent Acacia, who doesn't care for lore, committed Liam's words to memory, making sure to never cause trouble within Svebrial.

Liam was glad to see his words achieving their desired effect.

Meanwhile, the party couldn't peel their eyes away from the city.

"Wow it's like in those anime."

"Such a beautiful medieval city."

"Look at all those horse carts! Can we ride one?"

"Yeah, but why would they simulate the smell so well?"

Svebrial was a proper fantasy city. Duabalis couldn't compare to it. Especially the prosperous shops selling everything from household appliances to magic wands attracted everyone's attention.

Thus, time went by quickly for the party as they reached a district with obviously higher quality houses. Even the people on the streets wore colorful fur clothing, showing of their wealth.

If the party weren't made of players, they might've been asked to turn around.

But luckily, they could advance until they reached a large compound made from multiple buildings.

The most prominent among them was a gorgeous castle with towers reaching towards the sky, its old walls painted by time.

A large, open gate led inside the compound, allowing one to gaze at the many young, aspiring mages busying themselves.

Above the gate the words 'Svebrial Ancient Academy' were written in striking letters.

The party admired the impressive academy when a voice reached them from the side.

"Finally, you are here!"

Cyclone wore a relieved face as she jogged towards the party, her blond hair swaying behind her head.

"Cyclone! Did you have to wait for a long time?", greeted Silver Blade happily.

"Of course! I was doing boring fetch quests the whole time. Damn, I hope this quest is worth it or I will…"

Cyclone trailed of, frustrated as she couldn't do anything to the Lightning Hawk Alliance.

"My friend, why don't you start at the beginning?"

"Sure. I followed Mirage's advice and found the academy. To get a strong lightning class I should find the teacher's missing wand.

Mirage told me the way to the wand through the academy's catacombs. But when I got there it was dark and full of monsters, so I lost my way.

Luckily, I stumbled upon a secret passage and entered a meeting of the Lightning Hawk Alliance.

Those guys discussed for a bit before deciding to test me.

And now I need to kill some leviathan thingy. But that guy is a boss monster, and I don't think I have a chance without help!"

"Damn, what a journey.", said Balm with a baffled face.

Meanwhile Liam furrowed his brows, pondering which boss fit Cyclone's description.

After a few seconds he came up with something:

"Cyclone, did those mages send you to kill the Deep Blue Winding Snake?"

"Yeah, that's it."

Liam scrunched his face, recalling everything about the boss monster.

"That won't be easy…"

"That's why I called you, expert!"

Rolling his eyes at Cyclone, Liam began pondering possible strategies.

"Is this boss too strong for us?", asked Quickstep carefully.

"At least in water it is, yes. But if we could get it on land… we might have a chance."

Cyclone sighed in relief. She was rather nervous seeing Liam fall silent but now it appeared that the expert had a plan.

Suddenly a tremor went through the surroundings. A low explosion could be heard.

The friends looked around in shock.

"What happened?"

"Is the city under attack?"

"Why are the NPCs not reacting?"

Only Liam and Cyclone remained without any change in expression.

"Seems like some mage is working on a new spell again. You'll get used to it.", explained the blond woman smugly, not divulging that she hid behind a rock the first time she felt such an explosion.

The others looked at each other strangely.

"This… why don't we just leave? I don't want to lose a life because the academy fell on my head.", suggested Balm with a sheepish smile.

Fortunately the others agreed. Liam didn't delay much longer and led the party through the lively city.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"Sightseeing is nice, but didn't we come for a quest?"

Liam rolled his telling his friends to be patient as they approached the lower parts of the city.

The people living here amongst dyers and leather workers were the lower-class citizens. Although they could still be considered well off compared to other parts of Crunaboul.

The girls waved their hands before their noses, complaining about the smell. The boys agreed but didn't show anything on their faces, subtly hiding their noses below their armors.

"Mirage, where are you leading us?", inquired Cyclone impatiently.

"We're almost there."

Liam didn't lie. The group turned two more corners before going down a set of stairs, entering an inconspicuous door.

Suddenly Silver Blade's eyes shot open as an inconceivable idea came to her mind:

"Hey Mirage, could it be that the entire city is simulated? Can every door be entered?"

"As far as I know… sure."

"Unbelievable… what computing power is needed to do this?"

They others also felt their eyes clear up as they looked around, drawing sharp breaths.

Liam's mind drifted. The game in his new life felt even more realistic than in his old life.

As someone interested in technology, he would love to learn more about it. This was after all a field where something new could always be discovered. He enjoyed it when novel problems challenged his brain.

Maybe in the future…

Liam shook his head, focusing back on the game. Together with his party he walked into an underground tavern.

Only a few people could be found at this time of the day. Two orcs snored noisily, their heads resting on a table in the corner, not disturbed by the bard caressing his lute mindlessly.

The party scanned their surroundings, most of them drawn in by the shady atmosphere.

"Friends, I have come to a decision. This establishment shall be my den from now on!"

Bloody Edge exclaimed with sparkling eyes, the roleplaying thief feeling right at home.

He walked towards a table with a few cups on it. Grabbing one, he took a deep sniff, his face showing a satisfied expression.

Fortune was weirded out but nevertheless directed her camera at the thief's back, never missing a good shot.

Even Liam felt strange. Shaking his head he waved his friends over towards the counter.

A rough looking bartender put away the cloth and cup in his hand as Liam approached him, selling the player a Cerberus beer. A strong and spicy variant which could be found in taverns throughout Crunaboul.

The party watched curiously as Liam approached a table half in the shadows of a stuffed animal.

A small creature with dark green skin and a leathern cap hiding his bald head sat at the table. This was the first time the party got a closer look at one of the famous goblins.

His unfocused eyes moved lazily as Liam placed the Cerberus beer before the goblin.

"Fregdo. I need to buy something from you."

The goblin's head swayed. He grabbed the cup of beer before him, taking a large sip. Liquid splashed as he slammed the cup back on the table.

"Not selling!"

Liam's eyes twitched. He knew that the goblin was not easy to convince. But he expected a friendlier reaction thanks to the beer.

The veteran felt annoyed. Not willing to spend that much effort, he turned around beckoning to his secret weapon.

Silver Blade rolled her eyes as Liam bought another cup of beer, handing it over to the young woman and sending her to talk to Fregdo.

Repeating Liam's earlier actions Silver Blade approacjed the merchant. Fregdo's small yellow eyes swirled in their sockets before focusing on Silver Blade.

"Alright. Come with me."

Cyclone's laughter echoed through the room as she looked between Silver Blade and Bleary Mirage.