The Cost of Exceeding One's Limit

Den headed home with a heavy heart. While his friends said they understood, Den couldn’t help the dreariness that weighed on him. What kind of adventurer has to take time off to help his grandmother? Den paused after stepping inside and taking off his shoes. He listened to the breathing of the house. He did not look forward to dealing with GrandPre while she felt poor. He knew how easily her temper could snap.

“That you, Den?” His grandmother’s voice shot from the kitchen. What happened to that weakness I heard on the phone? he thought. The hardness in the question did not make Den want to join her, but he slugged his way down the hallway. GrandPre sat at the table with a towel held to her forehead. She glanced up at him with a hard glare. “You came.”

He gave a hesitant nod. “It’s my job.”

The old woman sighed, letting her gaze drop to the table. “Thank you,” she said. “I apologise for taking you away from your friends.”

“It wasn’t the worst timing,” Den said, shifting the weight on his legs. The walk back had loosened up his leg a bit, but the sharpness of the pain remained. Of course I would be the one to pull a muscle, he glowered to himself. “It’s probably a good thing I left when I did.”

With the throbbing of his body, he accepted that he should be thankful for a rest. Really though, he just didn’t want to be around Rika right now. I can’t believe she yelled at me like that… He wanted to be mad at her, and did his best to turn his anger on her during his walk home, but he still couldn’t help agreeing that he was the one who’d messed up. He threw his hands out to the side. “What can I do to help?”

GrandPre slouched over the table, massaging her temples. “I have a big community bake sale today. I had hoped you could help me prepare and deliver what I promised.”

Den shrugged. “Sure. Thanks to you, I’m not out working in the Plains. Your needs are my highest priority in the end.”

“It shouldn’t be that way,” GrandPre said, not lifting her head from her hands. “I don’t want to be some old woman who is a burden on her family.”

“I don’t want to be a burden either,” Den said, leaning against the doorframe. “But sometimes we can’t help it.” He let out a sigh. “No matter how much we want otherwise…”

GrandPre was quiet for a long moment. “You have any experience in a kitchen?”

“None at all,” Den said.

“You will do exactly as I say,” Grandpre said. “I have a reputation to uphold. I will not allow the food I provide to be the weak link.”

Den limped into the kitchen as his grandmother turned to face him. Her already sour face twisted into a deeper frown. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing,” Den mumbled, keeping his back to her. “Just pulled a muscle.”

She scoffed. “Wash off and we’ll get started.”

After a shower, exhaustion crashed down on Den. He checked his backpack, but found he didn’t have any bottles of slime potion left. He downed a pain pill from his grandmother to stifle the pain in his leg then got to work.

He followed instructions to lay out all the utensils and start mixing ingredients for zucchini cupcakes in a large mixing bowl. While he worked, he noticed a small framed photograph tucked away in the far corner of the counter. The faded photo was of GrandPre and Grandpapi in their youth. He’d entirely forgotten about the picture, but it brought a small smile as he remembered how much it had once meant to him.

He’d spent many days as a child eyeing the faded photo and the strange couple within. The two young, strong individuals with wide smiles stood in a bizarre environment. Grandpapi leaned up against a massive tree trunk, GrandPre in his arms, but over his shoulder the sea spread out to the horizon, sheer rugged mountains rising out of the shimmering surface. His grandmother wore jeans, a flannel, and working gloves while Grandpapi sported light armor and leather with a red cape hanging over one shoulder. Copper shoulder armor topped a twists of silver tubing that ran down his arms. The cording ran into a large golden coin on the back of his right hand and a mirror on his left. Smoke and Mirrors-- the Enchanted Item of his grandfather’s stories.

In this picture, Grandpapi was surely in the Dragonspine Isles Colony. He couldn't have been much older than Den was now, but while he had already been accomplished and strong, Den couldn’t be more pathetic. Den looked away from the photo, his stomach twisting painfully. I’ll work harder, Grandpapi. I will become a career adventurer like you. Setting his jaw, he leaned into his work, whisking the living daylights out of his batter.

“What has you in such a tizzy?” GrandPre asked.

Den glanced over his shoulder. She watched him with one half lidded eye. He turned back to his work. “Nothing.”

“You look like you lost a fight, but still want to clobber someone,” GrandPre said.

Well, she’s not wrong.

“This is a new face. When you were little you were always quiet and dreamy with your eyes pinned to some handheld.”

Den slowed his furious stirring and said nothing. GrandPre didn’t know the first thing about him. Every time he’d visited with family, he’d dreaded any time Grandpapi would have to leave them together. Den couldn’t remember a single good conversation they’d shared. He was not in the mood to start now.

GrandPre gave an airy laugh. She seemed to be in a strange mood. “Is it girl trouble?” she asked.

Den shook his head.

“Boy trouble?”

“No,” he said with a sigh. “I wish I could be that popular.”

“Well you seem to be popular enough given you’re out from sunrise to sunset with your friends,” GrandPre said.

While he had been lucky lately, the outlook of his party wasn’t honestly all that promising. Realizing that if they were unable to make the bill, the chance the other members of the group would want to have anything to do with him seemed astronomically small. He bit his lip. He needed to get back out there. He continued to beat the batter even harder.

“Tell me about what you and your friends are doing again,” GrandPre asked. “Walloping… was it? It looks like you’ve really been doing a number on your body.”

Den was in no mood for this. He spun around. “Just tell me what I have to do so I can get this over with and get back out there.”

“Relax, Den,” she said, pushing herself up in her seat. “Rushing won’t end well. Take your time--”

“I don’t have any time,” Den spat. “I wasted years of it.”

GrandPre lifted her head out of her hands. “You’re not good to anyone if you’re dead, Den. You need to slow down and take care of your health.”

“Even alive, I’m not worth shit if I can’t produce.” He took a trembling breath and turned around.

GrandPre sighed. “If you need help, I can listen.”

“I just need to finish these freaking muffins right now. Then I need to go. What’s next?”

GrandPre seemed to give up on coaxing more out of him. He wouldn’t like anything she had to say to him if she knew what was really going on. They continued to make several batches of zucchini muffins and without a single word more than necessary, Den packed them up and delivered them downtown. It was mid afternoon by then. Den hadn’t eaten anything yet. His stomach growled painfully, so he went to the closest convenience store and bought a loaf of bread for a dollar. He chugged water and downed bread, and soon his stomach was bloated if not truly full.

Last he had heard, he was the only party member without work that afternoon. He sat on the curb outside the convenience store, looking up at the clear blue sky. The sunlight hurt. Even after spending the last week and a half outside almost all day, it hadn’t fixed years of living like a cave dweller. What he really wanted was to head home and crash until the evening run. But after that morning’s failure, he couldn’t waste a perfectly good afternoon.

He made his way to the Primordial Hollows and lifted his Guild Badge to open the gates. It was his first time running a layer alone. His leg burned hot, but the medicine he had taken kept it just barely manageable. What he needed was more slime potion. He ran the First Layer, managing to fill a few bottles. Going it alone, the spawn was low, and he left the boss battle against a single King Rat with what looked like all Grade F Ore. It was hardly worth the effort, but still, he couldn’t stop. He emptied the bag into one of the party’s lockers then ran the First Layer again, and again.

By the time his party members showed up at seven that evening, he sat slumped back against the door in the evening light. His limbs trembled, and his breath came raspy, his chest hollow as if a fire had burned through, leaving only charred bones. Even so, when Rika arrived, a smile rose to his lips. He stood very slowly. Rika came to a stop before him, her face still conflicted, but softer and perhaps even a bit remorseful.

“Sorry,” she said immediately. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” She looked down. “That wasn’t something a leader should do.”

“I’m sorry I lost us the battle,” Den said.

She looked up. “That wasn’t your fault. We all--”

“I made up most of the Ore we lost,” Den said. “I filled three lockers with it after the Guildmaster closed up shop.”

Grengalheim set a hand on Den’s shoulder. He was unsteady on his feet, so that actually helped a lot. “What layer?” he asked.

“First.”

“How many runs?” Sam asked.

“I lost count,” Den said. “Fifteen maybe?”

“Are you feeling okay, Den?” Rika asked. “That’s a lot of runs.”

He wheezed. “This is coming from Miss I-want-to-clear-the-Hundreth-Layer?” He brushed off Grengalheim’s hand then lifted his Guild Badge to open the doors. He looked back at them over his shoulder. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful,” he said. “But I can still try harder.”

Rika’s expression had morphed into a strange worry. Somehow it irked Den. He coughed roughly. “You don’t sound very good, Den,” Rika said softly.

“I’m fine,” he said, stalking into the cave. “If you’re worried, we can just hit the Fourth Layer tonight.”

At first he was the only one who entered the chamber but soon all the others joined him. Den’s nose had started to run, but he sniffed. We will make it.

---

Den didn’t remember falling asleep. He barely remembered saying goodnight to his friends after they cleared the Fourth Layer and wandering home. It couldn’t have been much later than eight or nine when he laid down. He was asleep in an instant. He slept like the dead and would have wanted it to stay that way until he woke in the morning. He found himself wrenched out of sleep by shearing pain in the dead of night.

His injured leg spasmed, the muscle knotting into a charlie horse. He gnashed his teeth under the covers, groaning and massaged it until it relaxed. Still hissing air, he went limp, dead tired. His body was sticky with sweat that chilled him while at the same time making him want to throw off his summer sheet. Water. He wheezed a dry cough that made his head throb. As much as he wanted water, he couldn’t muster enough strength to move. Everything hurt too much. So this is what happens when all the medicine and slime potion wear off. He lay wheezing in a sticky fever dream on the edge of sleep for what felt like lifetimes. He kept thinking he was nodding off and he would wake up at his booth at the convenience store, but each time his crusty eyes flickered open, he was still alone in his dark room.

Finally GrandPre knocked on the door of his room. That ripple from the world outside his head sent an electric shock through him and he managed a groan. His throat was shot. I need to get up. The others are waiting. With a colossal effort, he pushed himself out from under his sheet that seemed to weigh heavier than the crust of Isekai 03. His body ached dully, unwilling to move. He slammed his fists down in his futon. Damnit! I’m sick! He growled and coughed once harshly. It doesn’t matter, he decided.

He slapped his bad leg and with great force of will, he rose to his feet. He had to put all his weight on his good left leg, because the moment he put weight on the other, an excruciating pain would stab through him, threatening to send him crumbling. He managed to limp to his backpack and take a drink of slime potion. The numbing effect gave him the ability to dress at least. Despite how gross he felt, there was no time for a shower. With how slow he had become, he needed to head out for the Hollows now. Hefting his backpack, he limped his way to the door.

“Where do you think you’re going without breakfast?”

Den turned to see GrandPre standing with her arms crossed at the end of the hallway. He coughed roughly into his elbow. “I don’t have the time.”

“You’re being reckless, Den,” GrandPre said, her gaze hard. “You’re sick. Stay home.”

A flame erupted within him. “Stay home? You were always the one disappointed I didn’t leave home!” he said, throwing a hand out to the side. “I have to go. The only thing I have left is waiting. If I don’t go, I’m going to lose it.”

GrandPre eyed him for a long moment before sighing. “You’re just like him…” she said. “I tried to stop him. It’s not my job anymore.” She squinted, a pain entering her gaze. “I leave it to your people.” She turned and left him to simmer on his own.

It took a whole half hour for Den to shakily limp and stumble his way up the hill to the doors of the Hollows. He was last to arrive and covered in sweat when he did. The others had been tired when he showed, but they grew alert, eyes widening as he drew close. Before he’d even come to a stop, Sam asked, “Den, you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said with a wheeze.

“Like hell you are,” Rika said, planting her feet and crossing her arms. “You think you’re entering the Hollows like that?”

“I have to,” he said. Even as he spoke the only words he could allow himself to say, tears welled at the corner of his eyes, his legs trembling.

“Not like that you aren’t,” Rika said, her face serious. “You look like shit.”

“Den, we get it,” Grengalheim said. “But you’re sick. You have to rest.”

“But we’ll never make it!” Den shouted, tears running down his cheeks. “I don’t want to be the one to make us fail.”

Chloe stepped forward and rubbed Den’s head. “Den is trying so hard. Chloe loves that Den. Chloe knows that there is work to be done, but Den matters more.” She stepped in close and in one quick swoop, the short girl plucked up Den, holding him by his back and his knees-- princess style.

“Shit, Chloe, I’m heavy!” he said. “Are you okay?”

“Chloe is fine,” she said, giving him a lighthearted smile, not seeming to struggle at all. This must be the oni blood that ran through her. To think she had enough strength to heft all two-hundred plus pounds of Den. “Chloe will deliver Den to the doctor’s office.”

Rika gave her a thumbs up. “Good one, Chloe.”

“No--” Den started, but Rika strutted forward and put her fist to his cheek.

“Friends don’t let other friends work themselves to dust,” she said with a tired smile. “We’re a party. We’ll make it work, Den.”

Grengalheim and Sam nodded their agreement.

His eyes filled with tears and he quickly wiped them away. He really did find good people. He would never be enough for them. His heart throbbed with thankfulness. “I can at least walk myself to the doctor!”

“Den has already done enough,” Chloe declared. “Chloe said she will deliver him. She will also make sure that he rests.”

Warm tears rolled down his cheeks. At that point he couldn’t resist anymore. “Thank you,” he said.

Rika gave him a solid nod. “We’ll take care of things here. As your leader, I command you to prioritize getting healthy, you hear?” He nodded and she smiled. “Good. It’s you, so I know you’ll be fine if you take it seriously. By the time you’re better, I’m sure you’ll have figured out a plan.”

---

The doctor was not pleased with him. Sure enough, his overwork had brought about the cold, and on top of that, staying on the slime potion so long had put so much stress on his body that he’d strained his leg. He’d been given a prescription and made to promise not to abuse slime potions.

Chloe carried him home when the visit was concluded. She asked him if he had sprung a new fever because his face had gone so red. She didn’t understand that he was embarrassed enough outside normally. Now, the gaze of everyone they passed falling on them nearly killed him. Even so, when she set him down at his front door, he thanked Chloe from the bottom of his heart for doing so much for him. She wanted to stay, but he didn’t want to deal with GrandPre getting nosey if he let her in. Anyway, there was nothing she could do to help. There was no fix for his ailment other than rest and stretching.

A whole day of rest did wonders by itself, but on waking that evening, he knew that if he wanted to recover as fast as possible, there was still more he could do. He shared dinner with GrandPre. Every other time, he’d scarfed down his meal without a single word between them, but today was different. Over a warm meal, he asked, “You said that if I needed help, I could ask, right?”

“Yes,” GrandPre said without hesitation, not looking up from her meal. The speed with which that answer came surprised Den.

He almost expected her to follow up with something like, ‘that’s what family does,’ but she did not. Somehow that allowed him to relax. If she had said such a cheesy line, it would have hurt because it was a lie. They were family, but for the most part, their conversations in the past had only hurt each other. They both recognised that. Even so, she had laid bridge for them to cross with her offer to help. Now he ventured across.

At his bequest, she led him in a series of warmup and cooldown stretches to begin to address not only his injured muscle, but his entire tense and taxed body. Despite the fact that the exercises, stretches, and yoga she prepared would take over an hour, he accepted it without complaint.

A half hour into the program, he leaned into a standing stretch to his toes, paying attention only to his breathing. The aching muscle stabbed, but with each inhale and exhale, it seemed to give a little more. That much was progress. He followed his grandmother’s instructions, enjoying the feeling of the old fraying tatami mat under his feet, the traditional flooring retaining a natural coolness in the summer season.

He sat for the next stretch, spread his legs apart, and reached forward. This stretch especially agitated his injured muscle. His grandmother circled around him and set her warm, bony hands on his shoulders. He jumped ever so slightly before his deep breathing calmed his heart. GrandPre gave him an ever so slight, steadying push. “Now just focus on your breathing. Let me know if this much pressure is too much.”

He found a small smile work its way onto his lips. How much he would’ve given for her to ask that question in any other circumstance before his old world ended. As much as he was told however to focus, he found his mind drawn to the feeling of his grandmother’s bony touch on his back. How long had it been since he had been given such a gentle touch? Now that he thought about it, he’d tapped shoulders, high-fived, and shared touch with his party numerous times in the last two weeks, but before that? … when he last had his hair cut? Two years ago? He couldn’t remember what it felt like. He let himself smile. It felt good to be this close to others.

The next half hour burned away surprisingly fast as he followed his grandmother’s instructions. He ended on his feet, his grandmother giving him a solid nod. “A promising start. You will continue this every day as long as you are in my care.”

Den nodded and rolled his shoulders, feeling a looseness in his neck that had been hurting from years of gaming. “I appreciate it,” Den said.

His grandmother squinted. “You sound different, Den. When you arrived, your gaming addiction had left you a shell, but now you’ve snapped back. What changed?”

Den shrugged. “I found something I can put my all into.”

“Hm. You’re stronger. I can see it in your eyes.” Her squint grew even narrower. “It makes me suspicious.”

A cold shiver ran down his back. “Nothing to be suspicious of! Just running around with my friends.”

She gave a tired smile. “I am happy for you.” With that she moved on.

Despite all of Den’s worries, he found a small happiness at that unexpected victory.

---

Den woke to his early alarm the next day and was shocked at how much he had recovered. The lethargy and soreness of the day before were all nearly recovered. His other cold symptoms had all faded as well, leaving only a slight cough. It was a wonder what a single day of rest could do. His strained muscle still could take only minimal weight, but even so, Den was excited. At this rate, he might even be able to return to adventuring that evening he imagined.

He had gotten the day off from work, and while he guessed his friends would complain about him adventuring that morning, he wanted to at least see them and show them how much better he was feeling. Before eating breakfast, he asked GrandPre to guide him though stretches again. She accepted, and even with the long program, he was done before seven when he would leave for the morning run. He dressed in a Hollows outfit, the tee eroded through in several places. I might as well bring my backpack too… he thought, but then a loud knock came at the door. Den had a strong suspicion, so he limped to the door before GrandPre could reach it.

Sure enough, upon looking up to the peephole, all he could see was Rika’s displeased face. He opened the door and quickly squeezed out, shutting it behind him. Chloe and Rika waited for him. Chloe wore her normal Hollows run jacket, and gave a little wave while yawning. Rika was likewise prepared for battle in her dirty sweatshirt and sweatpants, her face serious, hands behind her back.

It gave Den a little tingle of thankfulness that his friends had come so early to check on him. Still, he wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of introducing them to GrandPre wearing such obviously battle worn clothing. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“The party guessed that Den would attempt to join them for the run this morning so Chloe and Rika came to meet him,” Chloe said.

He gave a weak laugh. “I didn’t think you’d let me join…”

“That’s why you’re wearing one of your Hollows outfits?” Rika asked, keeping her hands behind her back.

“Well, I might have been planning on going up to tell you all how much better I was feeling…”

Chloe shook her head. “Classic Den. Rika guessed as much.”

Was he really that easy to read? “Are you going to try to stop me?”

Chloe looked at their leader.

Rika took in a deep breath, her face remaining serious. “Just so you know, this took me a lot of work to make. You better appreciate it.” She brought out one of her broken Pointy Sticks of Destruction from behind her back. A moment’s glance however made it clear that it had been heavily upgraded. The point had been filed down and a peg of wood had been crudely duct taped on perpendicularly. A ring of duct tape at the top made it clear that it was a forearm crutch.

He took it and upon sliding his arm in, he found that it held his weight nicely. Even the handle was tight and sturdy. He took a few steps back and forth on the porch. “Thank you, Rika!” he said. “It’s amazing.”

“Of course it is. I made it,” she said, holding her nose in the air. She relaxed and a genuine smile of relief spread across her face. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Does this mean I can join you all in the morning run?”

“No,” Chloe said. She pulled a paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “The party will have dinner at Chloe’s before the evening run. The party will decide then if Den is ready to return. Den’s mission is to buy the ingredients and prepare dinner.” She gave a gentle smile. “Please create food that will not kill the party.”

He couldn’t say no. He understood that they wanted him to rest, but they knew how much he was itching to return. He had been given a mission-- even if it was one he was unprepared for. The fact that his party had entirely predicted his actions and thought of a way he could help the team despite his injury filled him with warmth. He gave a salut. “I promise I will do my best!”

---

The party sat at the wide table in Chloe’s magnificent dining room, the table set with dishes of macaroni, spaghetti, and salad.

Den had eaten his plate in hunger, but frowned deeply. This was disgusting. The noodles were soggy and the salad looked more like a block of lettuce had gone through a shredder.

The party sat around the table in silence. Den was pleased to see that Rika at least looked satisfied after eating three servings of noodles. Chloe appeared to have taken a few bites then moved things on her plate into little piles to make it look more eaten before wiping her face and setting her napkin on top of it. Sam ate it and had an entertained smirk on their face.

“Thank you for the dinner, Den,” Grengalheim said. He had eaten halfway through a plate before setting down his utensils. “You really saved us time today.”

“Sorry it was so bad…” Den lamented. He had even surprised himself. The directions were written on the back of the box and he had still messed it up. It didn’t help that he had gotten a little distracted on Chloe’s computer, catching up on watching gameplay Laserw0lf had uploaded of some of their best games before the paywall had kicked in.

“While in the future I think I would be interested in cooking myself,” Grengalheim said, very generously making it clear Den had lost kitchen privileges, “We appreciate it nonetheless.” They quickly cleaned the table and in the meantime, Grengalheim pulled out his tablet and set it for them all to see. “Before we head out for the Hollows, I want to congratulate everyone on our progress this week. Our hard work is showing.” He pulled up their party states on the Guild App. At the top of the list organized by level was of course Grengalheim himself at level 13. Rika, Sam, and Chloe were all tied at level six while Den came in last at a high level five.

“Oh come on!” Den said, pulling out his phone and opening the app, having it scan his eyes to update his data. “This isn’t fair. I was ahead of Rika just yesterday! I’ve run the Hollows more than anyone!”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Den,” Grenhalheim said, clicking on Den’s icon to open his information. “You had the lowest physical stats across the board when you joined. You’ve made serious progress. It’s really impressive given your lower stats.”

Chloe reached up and patted his head. “Chloe doesn’t mind that Den is weak. Very impressive!”

“We totally wouldn’t have gotten that silver slime if it wasn’t for your plan!” Sam added. They tapped their screen. “Did you all notice we’ve even made it to the top twenty ranking for fastest rising adventurers?”

“That’s a thing?” Den had never seen such a feature before. Grengalheim frowned and swiped through half a dozen convoluted portals until he arrived at the page. Den comprehended how he hadn’t found the page before. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, Den thought. Pretty typical poor programming for the Guild App. Going down the list of unfamiliar names, he found Rika first at rank 12. Chloe and Sam came at 14 and 15 respectively. Grengalheim came in at 19. Speed Runner’s name took the bottom spot of 20th place.

“Wait, where am I?”

“Huh?” Sam said. “Oh, I was wrong. I guess we’re in the top twenty except for Den.”

“Then where am I!?”

They scrolled down past information on the ranking before finding the top one-hundred list. Den’s name sat at rank 21. “Oh come on!” He slumped back in his seat. “I can’t even make the top twenty?”

“Speed Runner wasn’t in the top twenty when I checked earlier,” Sam said, rubbing the back of their head. “They must’ve completed another speedrun somewhere.”

Rika pushed to her feet. “The first step to reaching the Hundredth Layer is taking first place on that ranking list! No one is working as hard as we are! If we keep delving, I’m sure our ranking will improve!”

“Actually they’ll drop,” Grengalheim said, looking at the ranking on his own screen. “I’m a higher level than you all so that’s why my progress is scored lower. This ranking is for highlighting new adventurers and sharing who might be up-and-coming stars.”

Rika squinted and swiped the screen up. “Then what about these two!? They’re level 35! Why are they in first and second then if this ranking rewards new adventurers?”

Sam laughed. “Wait seriously? You haven’t heard about Hiro and Des?”

“Let’s set those anomalies aside for a moment,” Grengalheim said. “Yes, our hard work has put us on the list for now, but don’t forget a moment that success in the Hollows is often bought. We don’t have the time, the resources, or the training to become adventurers that can top this list.” He gave Sam a sideways glare. “I avoided showing you this list because the odds are against us. No matter how hard we try, it's only a matter of time before we are kicked off the list.”

“Okay fine, I get all of that,” Den said, “But I’m still confused about why there are two level thirty adventurers topping this ranking while the next highest are in the teens. Who are Hiro and Des? Are they a big deal?”

“Den is technologically challenged,” Chloe said, patting his head. “Very sad.”

“What the hell?” Rika said as she stared at her screen. “They’re Isekaijin?!”

Den laughed. “Oh what, did the Earth Gate just now open back up? It’s only been a hundred and fifty years.”

“It hasn’t,” Grengalheim said. “They said themselves that they’re not Isekaijin. I wish that rumor would stop spreading.”

“But they’re closer to the Isekaijin than any of us could ever dream of being,” Sam said, their eyes blazing. “It may be hard to believe, but those two managed to create Player Accounts. They have their own Essence Ore Cores and internal magic.”

Den couldn’t say anything. That was impossible. Essence Ore Cores-- the gift bestowed upon the people who came to this world to play Isekai New Horizon 03. The Player Accounts installed in their bodies using Lost Earth Technology gave them internal magic-- all the skills one could expect as an RPG player. Of course, those Player Accounts could not be passed on to the sekaijin. “So wait, these guys can actually use magic?”

“That’s so unfair!” Rika shouted. “Why can’t I have magic then?”

“Hiro and Des said the experiment that created their Player Accounts can’t be replicated anymore-- even if the Monoliths were still around.” Grengalheim waved a hand.

“It blows my mind to think we have real players walking around the world again,” Sam said. “From what I’ve read, they have the ability to shrug off bullets with an aura shield, advance class trees to learn real magic, and even gain adaptation skills like resistances! With their base talents they should be able to jump over mountains and punch dragons in the face!”

“No one knows what their talents are. Guessing what they’re capable of is a waste of our time,” Grengalheim said.

“Chloe senses that Grengalheim does not like these two,” Chloe said, her bunny ear lifting as she tilted her head.

“They started at level one the same day Den and Rika did. But their Player Account bonuses will keep them at the top of the ranking indefinitely. Their existence makes it harder for anyone like us to gain any notoriety. You can imagine why that would frustrate me.”

“The cheaters,” Rika said, puffing her cheeks out.

“I just want to make it onto the top twenty list at least once…” Den said.

Grengalheim sighed. “I started this conversation because I wanted to tell you, Den, that we are already doing enough. You don’t need to hurt yourself again.”

“Is it time to tell him the good news?” Sam asked.

“Good news?” Den asked, standing up from the table.

“Money, Den. Money,” Chloe said with a nod.

Rika grinned. “We sold the Silver Slime potion to the Guild. 30,000 doubloons.”

“Th-thirty-thousand?” Den sputtered.

“It’s yours, Den,” Sam said, giving him a thumbs up. “We decided that since you caught it, you get it. That’s earned you a couple days of rest don’t you think?”

Den was speechless. 30,000 doubloons for a single slime potion? To think he’d only been moments away from missing picking it up at the time. “Is it really okay for me to keep it all? It was a group effort.”

“Think of it as your reward as the Hardest Working Member,” Rika said. “I may be the strongest, but you deserve that one.”

“That said, we want a promise from you that you won’t be in the Hollows for at least one more day,” Grengalheim said. “We can risk you getting even more injured.”

All party eyes landed on Den. He let out a long breath. “Thank you, everyone. I promise.”

---

It basically killed him, however, to resist from joining. The next day felt like a lifetime. In the name of training, the Guildmaster let Den help him clean up the old Guildhouse. While Den was recovering nicely, even the simple tasks of sweeping and moving furniture around the building brought Den to a sweat. He couldn’t use the crutch that Rika lent him for most of the chores and he realized how difficult it would be to fight. After a day of light work, the main hall was, nonetheless, as clean as it was going to get.

The work kept him busy, but the hardest part of the day was seeing off his friends and hearing of their adventures when they returned tired, but successful. He sucked it up and let it go as his last day of probation passed.

Day Thirteen arrived and after a morning run, the team sat sprawled at a table in the guild hall looking over Sam’s tablet while they waited for the Guildmaster to scan in their first haul. Den was exhausted even though their run had only been of the Third Layer. He’d stuck to the middle of the group, the others acting as his guards as he used his crutch to limp his way through the layer. He supposed he helped a bit by taking out some monsters and increasing the spawn, but given he couldn’t run, he basically had to stand by during the boss battle, taking pictures for the blog while his friends took down a mounted-skeleton. It wasn’t the greatest feeling. And because he had slowed them down, there was only time for a single run.

The party sat tired and defeated at the table while Sam tried to bring up the mood by displaying the pictures they had captured that week. “And this one is from the time Rika headbutted a skeleton and almost gave herself a concussion. This one was great-- Den almost died melting under a silver slime. Ooh, I love the time Grengalheim was tackled in the crotch by a giant otter! That one must have hurt.” Sam laughed but Den was as silent as the other members.

Out of sheer luck, which Sam seemed to be brimming with, they had made it through all their battles with the least damage-- only a single bandage on their cheek. It was appropriate that the one with a magical luck field enveloping them took over photography. While the pictures were impressive, it was a bit depressing to see their week of mishaps recorded.

They had all seen better days. Den’s long sleeved shirt was ripped and muddied, his soupcan armor dented, and his arms were bound up in white tape from the burns he’d gained from battle with slimes. Rika sat proudly with an eyepatch over her black eye and a large purple bruise on her forehead. Chloe’s rabbit jacket had grown dusty and one of the ears had ripped half off. Grengalheim had a number of bandages on his arms and a large cut on his cheek.

This had been their first opportunity for all five to be available again, but while they had considered one more morning run, the Guildmaster had asked them to stay for a talk. Sam finished showing off their favorite photos of the week and turned off the screen, meeting the old man as he pulled out a chair and joined them. “Fun times.” Sam declared. “So what did you want to talk about, boss?”

The old man leaned forward with a creased brow. He looked them over then said, almost hesitantly, “You kids doing alright?”

“We’re… alive,” Den conceded. “Hanging in there.”

“While it’s not the best progress I had hoped…” Rika said, “We’re going.”

“Are you on track to have the money needed to complete your payment?” the Guildmaster asked.

Den looked to his teammates and yet no one spoke right away. Chloe lifted her tired head and said, “Probably.”

“Probably?”

“We have a plan,” Grengalheim said, leaning on his fist. “But it’s going to be tight.”

“We’re going to make it,” Rika said. “We have to be close now. I’ll call in sick to work tomorrow and run as many times as we have to if that’s what it takes.”

“You saw what happened to Den when he did that, right?” Sam asked.

“What we need is to have one more meeting tonight. Tomorrow is the last day to earn money. We’ll have to deposit before the Guild closes so they can extract from our attached account.” Grengalheim sighed. “If it looks like we can’t make it, tomorrow is our last chance to quit. At least we already have enough to cover the exit fees.”

“Chloe doesn’t want to quit now…” Chloe said, her bunny ears hanging in front of her face.

“None of us do,” Den said. “We’ve been doing our best. It should be fine.”

The Guildmaster nodded his head and pushed himself up from the table. “Good luck, Rika’s Awesome Party.”

“That’s not our name,” Den said as the Guildmaster left them.

No one said anything for a thoughtful minute. Finally, it was Sam to ask, “Just in case, if things don’t work out, what is the plan?”

“I’d be snatched up by the EEC pretty quickly I think,” Den said. “Though, if this doesn’t work out, I don’t really care if I die out in the colonies.”

“If you don’t like the EEC, I hear the military is recruiting hard now too,” Sam said. “You’d get a chance to shoot some real weapons. I don’t think that sounds so bad.”

“I’d rather die in the colonies than in a squabble with the Confederation,” Den said with a weak laugh. “My Grandpapi made the Frontier Isles sound pretty nice when he wasn’t fighting monsters and Terralings.”

“If Den is sent to the colonies, I’d go with him,” Rika said. Den sat up at that. That was no simple promise. She looked grim as she looked down at the table, but still, the fact that she would say something like that made Den’s heart flutter.

“Chloe’s mother will probably arrange a marriage for her to a Starter Town family that would pull strings to protect her.” She sighed. “Even if Chloe would rather end up in the ECC or the military.”

“I’ll splatter some traitor brains any day,” Grengalheim said.

Den sat up and let out a trembling breath. “We’re not to that point yet. We can still do this.” The others seemed too stuck in thought of the bad end future to give him any response. He continued. “Hey, why don’t we eat at my place?” Den offered. “Sure we’d have to be quiet about the Hollows around GrandPre, but I bet that if I asked she’d be up for it. That would save us the cost of a meal and give us more time for evening runs.”

No one posed any other options.

“Then this is it,” Den said. “It’s time to learn what it takes to make career adventurers out of us losers.”