A Beginner’s Trap

The world flickered as Ray and Seraphine tumbled through the portal, landing in the middle of a dusty training ground.

Around them, rows of novice adventurers clumsily swung wooden swords under the stern gaze of an instructor barking orders loud enough to rattle the nearby town gates.

"Hold the line! You're not chopping firewood; you're fighting for your lives!" the instructor shouted, pacing in front of the trembling recruits.

Seraphine rose to her feet, quickly pulling her cloak tighter around her.

Her gaze darted nervously across the bustling square, her fingers brushing against the divine sword she had hidden. Its faint glow pulsed under the fabric before fading as she tried to suppress the sword's mana.

"Are you insane?" she hissed at Ray, her voice low but laced with panic. "You brought us here?! A training ground? Full of people? Do you know how easy it is to—"

"To blend in? I had no idea those runes were linked directly to here, but this is fine, we can easily blend in with the crowd." Ray interrupted, brushing the dust off his beginner clothes.

His mind raced as he observed the training area around them and the notice board with 'Valltherion' written in bold letters.

"Relax," he said his voice steady. "No one's looking for a couple of low-level nobodies. They're all too busy trying to figure out which end of the sword to hold."

He fiddled with his interface, clicking a setting to show his player status and level to everyone which would have appeared to other players as a lowly level one.

Although he was unable to do that, as when he clicked on the option,

[Error! No name selected]

Seraphine narrowed her eyes in panic. "I'm serious, Ray. My mana… I can't suppress it forever. If anyone senses—"

"Please be calm Princess" Ray said, his voice low and measured as he stepped closer. His blue eyes met hers with steady reassurance, a quiet respect underlying his calm demeanor.

"You're completely out of divine mana for now," he continued, his tone gentle but firm. "If you carry yourself like an otherworlder, no one will suspect a thing. Trust me on this."

Before she could retort, a cheerful voice chimed in from behind them.

"Oh wow, newcomers! Haven't seen a drop-in here for a while!"

The duo turned to see a young woman with wild, fiery red hair tied in a messy bun. Her beauty attracted the attention of almost every rookie there as she walked with grace towards them.

She wore mage robes so ostentatious they practically screamed "rich," paired with an exaggerated grin that didn't seem to belong to someone in a grim world like this.

She tapped the staff slung across her back, her mage robes shimmering in the sunlight.

"Welcome to Valltherion. I'm Cassandra. Mage. Merchant. Opportunist—though that's just between us." She winked, her smile equal parts charm and calculation.

Ray at once recognised her and the name hovering above her in transparent blue screen, the name almost everyone feared in his previous life,

Player: Cassandra

Class: Mage

Level: 6

**********

Ray stood at the back of a dimly lit war room, hidden in the shadows. His breath was shallow as he watched the scene unfold before him.

The guild leader of the Holy Crusaders, a man who had once been a symbol of unyielding power, now knelt before Cassandra, his eyes filled with desperation.

"Please, Cassandra," the guild leader begged, his voice trembling.

"I—I will give you anything you want. Our resources, our guild members, everything. Just… just spare us. The Light Faction is closing in. If we don't get the funds, we'll all be wiped out."

Cassandra's cold, calculating gaze never wavered. Her arms were crossed, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Her reputation as a ruthless strategist was well known, but it was her ability to control people, to crush them with nothing more than a flick of her wrist, that made her untouchable.

The guild leader's hands shook as he knelt, his voice pleading. "Please, Cassandra. Don't do this. You don't need to wipe us out. We can work together, we can—"

"Enough." Cassandra's voice was a silken whisper, but it carried the weight of an entire empire.

She slowly walked towards him, her heels clicking sharply against the stone floor. "You think I need you?" she asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

"You think your petty guild can offer me anything I don't already control already?"

The guild leader's face paled. He had no response. He knew, as everyone did, that Cassandra had no equals. She didn't negotiate. She decided.

"You've made a grave mistake, trying to bargain with me," she continued, her tone laced with mockery.

"I don't deal with weaklings who beg for their lives. I only deal with those who serve me."

Ray, standing silently in the back, couldn't help but feel the weight of her power. He had heard her dismantle guilds, tear apart alliances, and leave a trail of destruction in her wake.

And all he could do was watch as she manipulated everyone around her, playing a game none of them could ever hope to win.

The guild leader's face twisted in fear as he realized the truth. "You're going to kill us all, aren't you?"

Cassandra's smile widened. "I'm not going to kill you," she said sweetly her hair flowing rhythmically with the wind giving her an unreal presence.

"I'm going to let you live long enough to see the Light Faction tear you apart. And then, when you're begging for mercy, I'll collect my payment."

Ray's heart pounded as he stood in the shadows, a cold sweat beading down his neck.

He had been just another soldier in Cassandra's army, sent to hunt down the Light Faction and help the Holy Crusaders grow their power.

But there had always been something… unsettling about the way Cassandra operated.

She didn't fight for justice.

She didn't fight for a cause.

She fought because she could. She controlled everything—every market, every resource, every shadow in the world.

Ray's job had been to carry out her will—hunting down the Light Faction's leaders, eliminating them one by one.

He had been nothing but a tool in their hands, his life worth less than the number of coins in her vault.

This was his first and last meeting with Cassandra, a ranker not due to her own strength but from the power she possessed,

at the center of the grand hall of her guild,

The Crimson Syndicate - a guild that dominated the underground economy.

**********

Ray raised an eyebrow, studying her flashy gear and too-eager demeanor. He had not at all expecter to meet her here. She hasn't changed a bit, he thought. Seraphine, on the other hand, stiffened under Cassandra's gaze, clutching her cloak tighter.

"You're new, huh?" Cassandra asked, her eyes darting between them, lingering particularly on Seraphine's worn out paladin armor.

The dulled metal and scuffed plating, chipped at the edges gave it a look of beginner armor.

"Training ground drop? Classic starting point. But, uh…"

She paused, lowering her voice dramatically.

"You might want to move fast. This place? Overrated. I know a spot—perfect for leveling, see... my level" she said pointing over her head "no crowds, no headaches. Interested?"

Ray crossed his arms, feigning curiosity. "And this perfect spot is… free, I assume?"

Cassandra gasped, her expression the picture of mock offense. "Free? Of course! For friends. And we're friends now, aren't we?"

"The problem is that the place- requires to be in a party of three players to enter. You two seemed to be together, that's why I approached you. So are you in?" She asked in her delightful tone which could make anyone compelled to agree.

Her gaze lingered on Seraphine, her tone laced with warmth. It was all calculated - Cassandra had already guessed that Seraphine would be the easier one to sway among the two.

Before Ray could respond, Seraphine blurted out, "We're just passing through. No need for—"

"Oh, nonsense!" Cassandra interrupted, waving her off.

"You can't just 'pass through' Valltherion. It's a beginner's paradise! And trust me, with your… uh, outfits, you'll want to gear up fast."

Ray chuckled, glancing at Seraphine, whose face was now a mix of indignation and panic.

"Alright, Cassandra," he said, stepping in before Seraphine could blow their cover.

"You've convinced me. But first, we need an inn. Long trip, you know. We can start at night, if you're willing."

Cassandra blinked, her cheery grin faltering for the first time. "An inn? You just spawned. What do you need an inn for?"

Ray thought for a moment and then leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Well, you see, my companion and I need to… 'try' some things."

Seraphine's face turned scarlet. "Ray!" she sputtered, glaring at him with wide eyes.

Cassandra's eyebrows shot up, and she took a cautious step back. "Ohhh. Got it. Say no more. You two do… whatever it is you need to do."

Before Cassandra left, she smiled brightly and pulled out her interface with a flourish, tapping on the screen. "By the way, I'm adding you to my friend list," she said to Ray. "I will message you after nine, just don't sleep in real life okay?"

Ray raised an eyebrow but didn't refuse. "Sure. Why not?"

Cassandra's grin widened as she added him, the screen flashing briefly. "There. Now, don't be a stranger... You'll thank me later."

Cassandra wandered off, muttering something along the lines of weirdos.

----------

Seraphine whirled on him.

"Try some things'?!" she hissed, her face still flushed. "What is wrong with you?!"

Ray grinned. "Hey, it worked, didn't it? She's gone, and now we have some breathing room."

Seraphine groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Unbelievable. Do you even think before you speak?"

"Occasionally," Ray said with a shrug. "But come on, I needed her to back off. And besides, now we've just got free access to black market."

He had been paying attention to her words more than her cheery tone.

The way she subtly mentioned "no crowds, no headaches" and offered a 'perfect spot' wasn't just about leveling.

Seraphine gave him a questioning look. "You think she's already connected to the black market? It's only the second day of your arrival."

"Think about it. She's wearing high-end mage robes, but she's targeting random newcomers. Why? She doesn't need gold or gear. She needs us. And she was way too eager to buddy up. That screams ulterior motive."

"She did mention no headaches," Seraphine said slowly.

Ray nodded. "Exactly, she slipped up there. 'No headaches' is the black market's code to seal the deal."

Seraphine blinked, considering his words. "I knew she was trying to scam us but this... What was she going to do with us then?"

Ray's grin widened. "I think she's looking for naive players. Probably has some connections in the black market already, and she's trying to make a name for herself in this new world."

"Well, what better way is there to build connections than to get newbies to sign soul contracts with demons." Ray said bitter memories of his past returning to him.

Seraphine nodded, her tone steady despite the fury simmering beneath her words. "So what's the plan now? We can't let her get away with this."

"Well, I was going to check out the black market tonight anyway. I need to gather information about Ironvale, the place that the bandit leader mentioned. I might as well take advantage of her offer and tag along."

Ray smiled planning his steps ahead, the meeting with Cassandra reminded him more of his helplessness in the past, when he was being controlled like a puppet by everyone.

But one thing was certain: this time-

he would be the one pulling the strings.

Seraphine sighed, "Fine, but we should really get an inn to stay"

She was desperately craving for a bath right now.