The SUV drove past the gate to Waterford University, Waterford was ranked as one of the top Universities in the world. Although it was a public university, most of the students enrolled there were from well-to-do families. This wasn't due to corruption, but competitiveness, as a child from a well-off family they could afford to hire tutors and spend extra money on their studies while the less fortunate had to work part-time to help their family get by. This further took away from their already limited time to study, and this made the student body look a bit weird, you either had money and were smart, or you had no money but were very very smart.
Coming to a stop at the parking lot, Mirabelle gave Theo a quick kiss on the cheek and exited the car together with Valerie. Emmett waited for the girls to close the doors before he turned to Theo.
"Bro, Big bro, you need to get as far away as you can while you still have the chance, Mir isn't the angel she pretends to be," Emmett said in a hurry, looking out the window to see what the others were doing. Seeing Mirabelle looking back, Emmett was startled. Turning back to Theo.
"Trust me, bro, I've known her since she was a kid, her menopause has arrived, and she will surely break your heart." With that, Emmett exited the car.
Theo just looked at Emmett and the girls and shook his head, those 3 were best friends so he didn't take Emmett's words to heart. He put the car into gear and drove off.
"What did you tell Theo?" Mirabelle asked while they walked into the university grounds.
"Nothing much, I just asked him about the current attacks, if they had any leads you know." Avoiding her eyes I walked ahead. Mirabelle just looked at his back quietly.
"You know, I only saw Em talk, Theo never said anything…." Valerie couldn't help but say.
Mirabelle thought about it a bit, reached into her bag and picked up a book, took aim at Emmett. Threw it with full force, it barely missed Emmett's head, but when it flew past he jumped and started to run to his class with his middle finger raised toward the girls.
Theo was a few years older than the rest, had already graduated from university, and was currently working as a police officer in the city. Their city had so far been graced from the terrorist attacks but the nearby city had an attack about two months ago, so the police force in Waterford City had created a special unit to prevent such attacks. And Theo had just joined that unit.
Entering class Emmett searched for his buddy drinking buddy Sebastian, finding him in the back sitting with a few girls, he walked over and sat down amongst them.
Sebastian and Emmett met each other at tutoring school this past summer, at first it started well and they became "acquaintances", but a week after a new girl walked into tutoring school and they became bitter rivals. It lasted for a few weeks and finally when her birthday rolled around both decided on a final showdown to settle this rivalry once and for all. They both asked her out on a date, the loser would give up.
Turned out the girl was lesbian, they weren't in the race to start with. That night was the night when Emmett got a new drinking buddy to drown his sorrows.
Doing a fist bump with Sebastian, Emmett nodded at the rest as he sat down next to a girl named Larissa Kirk.
"Morning Larissa, all good?" he smiled at Larissa, she was a cute girl with big thick glasses and braids. She was one of those who had managed to get into the university all by her own means. It was rumored that the reason she wasn't going to all the gatherings after uni was due to her needing to work part-time to help at home.
Not waiting for an answer Emmett turned to Sebastian to fool around. Seeing this Larissa just twisted her hands shyly while answering "It was ok, I slept early and wanted to find you and play with you in Saga. But you kept on moving about so I couldn't find you. What will you do today?" she whispered.
Emmett turned back to Larissa and asked her. "Did you say something?"
"Nothing, I said nothing" with her voice trailing off
"You sure? If you want something you can talk to me."
"Mmmm," she made a sound and shook her head.
Looking at her weirdly Emmett turned to Sebastian again and talked about yesterday's mission, with big gestures he explained how he got forced off a cliff.
Three hours later when the class ended they all walked to the canteen, after getting their food and getting seated there was a commotion at the entrance. In walked Valerie and a few of her friends, Emmett instantly raised his hands to signal where he was sitting.
When all were seated Valerie asked if they wanted to join her on a mission later in Saga, she found a hidden mission that she wanted to try, if they were up for it. They all agreed to meet up later.
On the way home in the evening Valerie couldn't help but tease Emmett regarding how she noticed that Larissa was looking at him with sparkling eyes.
"Not my type, you know that I like girls with a good figure." Gesturing with his hands in an hourglass figure.
"If she took off those big-rim glasses then she would be super hot, everyone in the class knows that, she even had a few ask her out last week"
"It's a personality issue bro, nothing you would understand as you've been single your whole life" Emmett teased Valerie back.
"I'm waiting for the right person, when I find him I'll hit him in the head and drag him into a cave." Valerie turned her head in a snobbish and acted like it was something Emmett would never understand.
As usual, they shared a Taxi home, Emmett leaned his head against the cool glass, watching the city lights blur by. His mind wasn't on the scenery, though; he was already thinking about their next mission in Saga, the virtual world that had become their escape, their battlefield, and lately, their obsession. Mirabelle sat beside him in the backseat, silently flipping through a textbook, while Valerie hummed to herself, occasionally glancing at her phone.
"You've been quiet," Emmett said, nudging Mirabelle with his elbow.
She raised an eyebrow but didn't look up. "Some of us have homework, Em."
"Homework? We have more important things to worry about. Like whether or not we're going to survive the next quest," he replied with a grin, half-serious, half-teasing.
Valerie laughed and looked back from the front seat. "You're one to talk. Weren't you the one who almost died yesterday?"
Emmett scowled but couldn't help the smirk creeping back onto his face. "That was strategy, Val. Strategy."
Mirabelle finally closed her book with a soft thud. "Strategy? Is that what you're calling falling off a cliff now?"
"Exactly," he replied, unbothered. "I did manage to kill that guard, didn't I?"
"Barely," Valerie teased, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
When they reached Emmett's house, Valerie and Mirabelle waved goodbye before heading to their own homes. Emmett took the stairs two at a time, eager to jump into Saga. His heart raced slightly as he booted up his computer and slipped on the headset, watching the familiar loading screen flicker to life. Moments later, he was logging into the vast, sprawling world of Saga, a place where cultivation ranks determined power, and survival was a matter of skill and strategy.
The familiar rush of virtual air hit him as his avatar loaded in at their Thorn mercenary groups base, nestled in the heart of Beginner City 1. The group's large building was filled with mercenaries preparing for quests, sharpening weapons, or cultivating in silence. It was a place that hummed with the energy of adventure and danger.
Emmett's interface blinked with a message:
Mirabelle: Meet me at the guild, I managed to get the quest Val found. Valerie's already on her way.
He smiled at the thought of their new mission. Valerie was always eager, especially when it came to hidden quests. She had an eye for spotting rare opportunities, which often led them into trouble—but equally often into rare rewards. Emmett began to make his way through the crowded marketplace, where vendors shouted about their wares and players haggled over the latest weapons or potions.
The marketplace was chaotic as always, filled with NPC merchants and players alike. Emmett nodded at a couple of acquaintances as he passed, some congratulating him on his recent assassination of Miss Cecilia—a high-profile mission that had raised their mercenary guild's reputation significantly.
He approached the grand steps of the Mercenary Guild, where a familiar and beautiful figure stood leaning against one of the pillars—Mirabelle, her arms crossed, her eyes scanning the crowd.
"There you are," she said, her tone half-exasperated, half-cold as usual. "Valerie's already inside. She's found something she says we can't pass up."
"That sounds like trouble," Emmett grinned, falling into step beside her as they entered the guild hall.
Inside, the Mercenary Guild was buzzing with activity. Adventurers of all ranks lounged about, some haggling with the guild's receptionist for higher quest payouts, while others reviewed maps or pored over books filled with strategies for the Qi Condensation cultivation level. Emmett and Mirabelle made their way to one of the private meeting rooms where Valerie was already waiting, her avatar seated casually on the edge of the long wooden table.
"I've got something good," Valerie said without preamble, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I found a hidden quest chain in the Mistful mountain range. It's a long one, but the reward at the end is rumored to be a Rare Rank weapon."
Mirabelle raised an eyebrow. "Rare Rank? Are you sure?"
Valerie nodded. "I checked the forums. People have been talking about it, but no one's completed the chain yet. It's dangerous, obviously. We'll be going deep into the uncharted territories, but it's nothing we can't handle." She smiled confidently.
Emmett scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Dangerous missions are our specialty. What's the catch?"
Valerie's smile faltered slightly. "Well... the first part of the quest involves infiltrating the Hill family's estate."
There was a moment of silence as Mirabelle and Emmett exchanged looks. The Hill family was famous in Mist City, powerful cultivators known for their generosity. Their estate was a big and inviting manor, but rumors said they didn't take kindly to intruders.
They all looked at each other, the problem was that they had just killed the Hills family's princess. Infiltrating their manor just to gather some information would probably equal suicide.
"We were sure not to leave any evidence, even us being players should be unknown to them," Mirabelle said, noticing Emmett's face twitch slightly. She turned to look at him, "Right? we didn't leave any evidence?"
"Well, no we didn't," Emmett said slowly. Both girls stared at him, sheepishly he couldn't help but say. "But they may know we are players....."
"You know, their Captain was smart as hell, he directly accused me of being a player, almost like he knew about me beforehand" Spreading his hands wide in a, I couldn't help it manner.
Mirabelle sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Of course, with you it always does."
"What do you mean always" Emmett started but got interrupted by Valerie.
"But," Valerie added quickly, "the intel I found suggests they're guarding an ancient cultivation manual—one that could help us break through to the Qi condensation level all the way to the Core formation level. And if we manage to steal it, we'll be ahead of every other guild in Beginner City 1."
Emmett's grin widened. "Well, I've always wanted to piss off the other guilds. Sounds like a plan."
Mirabelle shook her head but smiled. "Fine. But we'll need a solid strategy. Let's review the map of their estate and plan our entry."
Going to a nearby restaurant and getting a private room. Valerie pulled up the map on the table, it was an item she got from the quest. Otherwise, such sensitive information wouldn't be readily available. A holographic projection of the Hill family estate appeared before them. It was a sprawling compound, surrounded by high walls, with guards stationed at every entry point. The main house was heavily fortified, but there were several back entrances that could be used for infiltration.
"We'll go in at night," Valerie suggested, pointing to a less-guarded section of the estate. "There's a narrow passage here that leads to the underground vaults. If we're careful, we can avoid detection and get what we need."
Emmett and Mirabelle nodded, studying the layout. "We'll need to distract the guards at the front," Mirabelle said thoughtfully. "I can take a team and create a diversion while Val takes another team and sneaks inside."
Emmett tapped his chin. "Once we're in, we'll need to move fast. The Hill family has some serious cultivators—if they catch us, we won't stand a chance."
Valerie grinned. "That's where the fun begins. We'll have to outsmart them."
With the plan set, they finalized the details and geared up for the mission. Emmett checked his inventory, making sure he had enough healing potions for the job. Mirabelle called for over 40 of the Thorn Mercenary Group members to meet just outside the city gates.
Seeing the big group in matching clothes standing outside the gates Emmett couldn't help but feel proud at the prowess of Mirabelle, his childhood friend who no matter where she went was always at the top.
Mirabelle looked at the group, "Time for the intensive training I promised, I want you all to reach the top of Body forging in the next few days"
With that the group followed the road into the forest and slowly disappeared from sight.