As soon as Lorne let go of Ava's hand, she instantly retracted it like a flash of lightning. She had the impulse to wipe it on her robe but managed to resist at the last moment.
Kyle's expression was just as dark as Lucien's.
Ava had learned about the hand-kissing custom in history. Even in modern times, it hadn't entirely disappeared. But she never expected that the first time a stranger kissed her hand would be inside a game—and that the stranger would be such a dazzlingly attractive man.
The four of them stood face to face in an awkward silence. Finally, it was Ava who broke the strange tension.
"Ahem… My, uh, good friend and I agree to join your mercenary group.""My rank… is… intermediate mage."
She had carefully considered her answer before speaking. She hadn't missed Lorne's earlier display of disdain toward Kyle. For some reason, playing this game gave her an overwhelming sense of realism.
It was as if the three men standing before her weren't just NPCs, but real, living people. As if this continent wasn't just a game map, but another world—a magical world brimming with mystery.
So, instinctively, she looked out for Kyle. He had told her before that once a mage officially took on a master, they had to stay loyal for life. Yet at most, she could only be with him for a few months. After she died, he would have no teacher. His talent was too exceptional to waste such a valuable opportunity on her.
As for herself, she knew nothing about magic. Claiming to be an advanced mage would be too risky, too easy to expose. But if she called herself a novice mage, the NPCs might look down on her.
Sure enough, as soon as she answered, the two handsome men before her relaxed their brows, looking rather satisfied. Seems like I have a knack for playing games, she thought.
Kyle, however, turned to her in surprise. Ava quickly reached out and took the boy's hand, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze. Now wasn't the time for explanations—she'd find a chance to tell Kyle her reasoning later.
What she didn't realize was that, on the continent of Nolan, fifteen was considered the age of adulthood—and Kyle was about to turn fifteen. Feeling Ava's soft hand clasping his, Kyle's face and neck turned bright red. He lowered his head, his heart brimming with sweetness.
Lorne, who had been utterly captivated by Ava's beauty, had planned to pursue her fervently during their upcoming missions. But now, seeing her holding Kyle's hand, exchanging affectionate glances, acting so intimate—his heart soured. He had heard of certain nobles leading rather promiscuous lives. Many high-born ladies who appeared lofty and untouchable in public secretly kept multiple lovers. But he never expected… even female mages played this way? Even with boys this young?!
Only Lucien, watching their interaction, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The young, handsome assassin had fallen for Lorne at first sight. He had silently admired him ever since. The thought of watching Lorne fall into yet another romantic entanglement, especially with someone as irresistibly charming as this mage, filled him with dread.
Lorne reached into his coat and pulled out an aged parchment scroll, its surface covered in intricate runes drawn with dark red ink. The edges glowed faintly with a soft blue light. Forcing himself to remain composed, he unfurled the scroll before Ava and said, testing her reaction,
"This is a 'Gold Contract.' If either party violates the terms, they will automatically lose half of the total sum—ten thousand gold coins." His Adam's apple bobbed. "Does this amount… satisfy you?"
What they were about to do was far too dangerous—possibly even fatal. Yet this cloaked mage had agreed to join them without even asking about the mission. That meant she was either insane… or a powerhouse confident in her own abilities. Either way, Lorne needed to lock her into the contract.
To discourage her from quitting midway, he had deliberately set an exorbitant sum of 20,000 gold coins. Losing half—10,000—was no small matter. It was, in fact, everything he owned at the moment.
He feared she might refuse the amount or simply lack the funds.
Ava glanced at the in-game shop.
Ever since she had agreed to team up with these two new NPCs, the exchange rate between US dollars and in-game currency had updated.
The latest rate was: [1 USD = 1,000 gold coins]
10,000 gold? That's just ten dollars.
She nodded casually. "Sure, no problem."
Lorne's suspicion deepened—this mage was very, very rich. And if she had that kind of wealth, she surely had plenty of ways to protect herself. Their chances of surviving this expedition had just gone up.
The anxiety and fear of re-entering Ironrock Mountain… suddenly didn't feel quite so overwhelming.
Slowly, he unfurled the scroll, pricked his thumb, and pressed the bleeding finger onto the blank space in the center of the runes. Then, he handed the scroll to Ava.
Ava…
This was the first time in her life she had witnessed such an ancient method of forming a contract.
Feigning composure, she bit her finger and let a drop of blood fall beside Lorne's. The scroll shimmered for a brief moment before bursting into silent flames, disintegrating into a wisp of blue smoke that vanished into the air.
"Contract sealed," Lorne said in a low, tense voice. "A violation… will cost you 10,000 gold."
He took a deep breath. The carefree, flippant demeanor he had displayed earlier vanished completely, replaced by solemn determination.
At this moment, he had no idea that the magician he had hastily found would bring him a surprise beyond his imagination.
"Now, let's go over the details of our mission."
"Our primary objective is to locate the three squad members who went missing last night. Dead or alive, we need to find them."
"And secondly…" Lorne's voice dropped even lower. "Two days ago, we stumbled upon a secret—one that could change everything."
His gaze swept over Ava.
"And now, we're all on the same boat. I need everyone to stick together and see this through."
"What secret?" Ava pressed, sensing the weight in his words.
Lorne shook his head. "I can't say yet."
"Because… I suspect that whatever we uncovered… is the reason we're being hunted." His voice barely rose above a whisper, as if afraid of being overheard. "And the disappearance of those three… is only the beginning."
As his words fell, Ava's game interface slowly surfaced with rust-colored text:
Mission Title: The Lies of Ironrock Mountain
Main Quest
Objective: Enter the Ironrock Mountain Range, locate the red dragon, and ensure its safe retreat.
Side Quest
Objective: Uncover the truth behind the death of the three missing comrades. Recognizing the True "Devil."