Chapter 7

Nicole sat on a plush white couch, her eyes scanning the luxurious penthouse.

The room alone was larger than her entire apartment, making her own place feel like a rundown storage unit in comparison.

Flat-screen TVs adorned the walls, the furniture was pristine, and even the smallest decorations radiated sophistication.

Across from her, Joshua lounged casually in an armchair, while the girl sat beside her.

The other man, sat by a grand piano, his fingers effortlessly gliding across the keys, filling the room with a soft, calming melody.

Joshua broke the silence. "Let me introduce everyone properly. The girl next to you is Yuri Swanson."

Yuri tapped her right ring finger, and an information board materialized in the air, displaying her character sheet:

Name: Yuri Swanson

Age: 23

Health: 1600

Mana: 3200

Stamina: 700

Level: 130

Class: Priest

Job Title: Disciple of Mara

After a few seconds, she tapped her ring finger again, making the display vanish.

Joshua pointed toward the piano. "The guy playing over there is Johnathan Daniels. He won't show his stats though—he's private about it."

Johnathan continued playing, seemingly indifferent to the conversation.

Joshua then tapped his own ring finger, summoning his information board, "Here is mine, thought I much prefer you calling me Josh instead of Joshua."

Name: Joshua Johansson

Age: 26

Health: 4500

Mana: 560

Stamina: 3370

Level: 137

Class: Brawler

Job Title: Slum Fighter

He dismissed the screen and looked at Nicole. "Your turn."

Nicole hesitated. "Why do you guys tap your ring finger for that?"

Yuri chuckled. "You don't remember Axel putting a ring on your finger? That's where your character sheet is stored. Try it out."

Curious, Nicole tapped her right ring finger, and sure enough, her stats appeared:

Name: Nicole Rose

Age: 25

Health: 160

Mana: 100

Stamina: 210

Level: 1

Class: Assassin

Job Title: Slave

Yuri's eyebrows raised. "An Assassin, huh? Interesting."

Nicole quickly dismissed the board. "Enough small talk. You said your group could help me. How?"

Joshua leaned forward. "It's simple. The system has a party-sharing feature—EXP and loot are distributed among party members. If we add you to our group, we can help level you up so you don't get wiped out early on. That world is unpredictable. A simple farming mission can turn into a full-blown invasion with high-level monsters. I bet you've already run into something like that."

Nicole thought back to her near-death encounters with the goblins and the werewolf. "Yeah... you could say that."

Yuri chimed in. "We've helped five other contestants before. Two stayed with us, while the rest went solo after getting stronger. If you ever want to leave, we won't stop you."

Nicole frowned. "Five others? How many contestants are there?"

Johnathan stopped playing for a moment. "So far, we know of eighteen. Each one is completely different in how they approach things. Some of them quickly adapt to that woman and are living comfortable in their respective server. While the others used their newly gain strength in this world to earn money and power."

Eighteen people... she had assumed that there would be ten or less.

Joshua leaned back. "So, what do you say? We have extra rooms if you need a place to stay, plus a change of clothes."

Nicole considered her options.

She was level one—one unlucky encounter could mean instant death.

These people knew how the system worked, and she could definitely use the help.

Besides, she was beginning not to trust Ruby given that she doesn't have her best interest in mind.

Before she could respond, a red notification flashed before all of them:

Joshua was on his feet in an instant, equipping a pair of metallic gauntlets. Yuri equipped a staff, and Johnathan, without a word, unsheathed a katana that was resting besides him.

With a swift slash, he cut through the air, opening a portal.

Without hesitation, he and Yuri rushed inside.

Joshua turned to Nicole. "Want to see what you can do with a little backup?"

Nicole clenched her fists and nodded. "I'm in."

She ran in after them, stepping into a dark cavern.

The moment she arrived, she spotted a man in brown robes struggling to stay on his feet.

A towering mechanical monster loomed over him, preparing to strike.

Before it could land the final blow, Joshua moved with blinding speed, slamming a fist into its metal frame and sending it crushing towards a stone wall.

Johnathan wasted no time retrieving their injured ally while Joshua engaged in a one sided battle with the machine, his movements precise and relentless.

Yuri knelt beside Michael, chanting a spell.

A soft golden glow surrounded him as his wounds began to mend.

Nicole stood frozen, watching in awe as Joshua fought.

He dodged with ease, countering each attack with fluid, devastating punches.

The mechanical beast reeled back, its systems faltering.

Sensing the moment, Joshua's gauntlets flared with yellow energy, and his eyes glowed.

[Critical Impact: Active]

With a final, earth-shaking punch, he shattered the monster into pieces.

As the system distributed EXP among the party members, Joshua turned to Nicole, smirking. "Well? What do you think?"

A small smile crept onto her lips.

"Okay... I'm interested."