Chapter 45

Jae stood still as stone as he waited. Around them the wind picked up, scattering dust and dirt further down the road leading back to the town's entrance. In the distance, Jae could hear the sound of Norran's hammer being brought down on his anvil.

Toyo looked back at Jae. He looked hurt, as if Jae's request had been offensive.

"I don't know why you're having such a hard time trusting me, man. But if it will settle things between us, then I give you my word as your brother that I'm not lying to you. Not about the meeting, and not about keeping anything from you. Alright?"

Relieved, Jae smiled apologetically. "Alright. Thanks man."

Reaching for the door latch, Toyo was about to walk in when Jae said, "Hey man look, I'm really sorry I doubted you. I guess…" He scrambled for the right words, "I guess I'm just getting too worked up. This whole month I've been stressed to hell and my nerves have just been getting to me." He looked down at his leather boots. "This damn game is driving me crazy. Just forget this whole thing, ok? I won't lose my shit again, I promise."

Looking back up, Jae could see that Toyo was also looking away.

"Listen," Toyo said, running a hand through his long blonde hair as he sighed. "I say we go try to join the Boss raid, once Naomi tells you when it goes down."

Jae's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You're sure?" He furrowed his brow suspiciously. "What changed your mind?"

Toyo shrugged. "I've been giving it some thought, and while I still think we should be looking after the weak players wherever we can find them, I also think that anything could happen with this Boss fight. The only players who know anything about the Floor Bosses are the beta testers, and they're no longer a reliable source." He looked at Jae, determination burning in his blue eyes. "Strongest players or not, they don't know what they're up against. It could get bad. I wouldn't forgive myself if we found out that some of them died. Besides," he added jokingly, "We could get some kick ass drops. And you know how far I'll go for a legendary item."

Jae chuckled. "Almost as far as me." He rubbed his palms together excitedly. "Alright, so now we wait for Naomi to give us an update. As soon we know where the raid group is heading, we leave. How much Col did you get from that battle with Naomi?"

Toyo scoffed at the question. "Not even a hundred. They didn't drop a single item either. I did get to level ten though, so I guess I shouldn't complain." He opened the door and stepped into the room. "Why, what's your plan?" He asked over his shoulder as he headed for the table.

Following him in, Jae closed the door behind them. "If we're going to do this, we need to prepare. We need to repair our gear, see if Norran has anything new today, and stock up on more health crystals." He sat down opposite Toyo. "I would say teleport crystals too, but one each is really all we need."

Toyo suddenly brought up a hand. "About that."

Jae winced. "What is it now?"

"I used my teleport crystal to get Tristan's ass to safety-it was the only choice I could make." he added quickly.

Sighing, Jae started running the math as best he could. "Alright, no problem. We'll just have to forget the seeing Norran part."

"I'll message Tristan and see where his shop's at." Toyo said. "If it's close, we can take him up on his offer and get most of what we need from him."

"If he's even got anything." Jae muttered. "He didn't look too loaded from where I was standing. Not to mention he got his ass handed to him by those plant mobs, if we go by what you saw."

Toyo grinned. "Yeah, but I can't complain about that. If anything, it just made me look that much more impressive to Naomi when I saved him."

Jae propped his elbow onto the table, putting his head in his hand as he gave Toyo a smug look. "You say that, but if I remember correctly it was I who got the friend request. It's looking like Jae's going to get the girl instead of Toyo."

Toyo burst in a fit of uncontrollable laughter as he pulled up his menu.

"I'm gonna be honest," Jae said as Toyo swiped through several screens. "I was expecting a somewhat different reaction."

Reaching his Friend List, Toyo pointed casually at Naomi's name as he wiped his eyes. "Bro, she friended me right after we fought those plant things together. Our bodies were pressed against each other as we cut down-"

Jae closed his eyes, lifting his hand in desperation. "I don't need to hear your dramatized fantasies. I get it, she friended you too. All that means is we both still have an equal shot."

Toyo slapped his knee as he laughed again. "Oh if only, my dear brother, if only." He scratched his morning shadow of a beard. "How do I put this? She friended damsel in distress Tristan before you. That makes you the last one. You know what that means right?"

Jae dropped his head down onto the table. The Immortal Object sign appeared above it, as if reminding Jae not to bother wasting his energy.

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