Bella led us through the streets of Elvenwall, where she was greeted repeatedly by both the NPCs and other Fallen as we passed. From what I saw, there were only a handful of other players in the city, and all of them received the same level of treatment. Even those that seemed drunk on praise weren't disparaged.

When Bella noticed my wandering eyes, she smiled slightly. "Most players set out on their own after a few days, wanting to visit dungeons and explore areas at their own levels. Only a few like my player stay for the enhanced leveling experience."

Diane nodded her head knowingly. "Choosing between a guided tutorial and exploring on your own. Everyone has their own style. What sort of skill set do you use, Bella?"

Bella hesitated briefly, before giving a bitter look. "I'm… a bit odd, I think. My main fighting style is with a bow, which is pretty common for elves, I know. But, my negative trait makes it hard for me to stay in the back line. Monster aggro is just constantly locked on me, even if I'm not attacking at all. So, I end up having to wear medium or heavy armor to protect myself while using my bow. Though, that's not too bad, since my player likes to put her helmet on whenever she logs in."

Diane's eyes widened slightly at that, nodding again. "My negative is pretty similar, but sounds like a weaker version of what you have. It makes it so that I am naturally easier to notice. But, since I'm a ninja…"

Bella blinked. "Right. That must be difficult. As for Drake, I heard from Castellan about his on the way to the dock. He seemed really excited to make your acquaintance."

"I have to admit… I'm not really used to people talking to me like that." I confessed, shaking my head. Until now, we hadn't exactly been mistreated by others, aside from a few annoying players, but nobody has really gone out of their way to treat us like celebrities.

"Yeah, I was a bit surprised too, at first." Bella agreed. "After a few days, I started to get used to it. If I may ask, what are you two planning to do once you get the skills you're looking for?"

Diane and I looked at one another, thinking it over. "For now, our main plan was just to get here and see if we could find the skills at all." I told her honestly. "If he can get us quests for them, we'll see what we can do, and then probably head out. I'd like to take a look around the country before we decide our next move for certain."

Bella bit her lip, seeming to think about something. "While you're in the city, would it be alright if I join your party? My player is always urging me to find a regular group to team up with."

I hesitated, looking at Diane for her opinion. She similarly seemed to have trouble deciding, before shaking her head and answering. "It shouldn't be too bad as long as we're in the city. However, it will be hard for you to join us after we leave."

"Oh? Is there a problem?" Bella tilted her head curiously.

"We've got a motorcycle, but it's only a two-seater, so we wouldn't be able to bring you with us." She explained. Bella continued to look confused for a moment, before her eyes widened.

"Oh! I see, I'm sorry. I hadn't even considered something like that. Still, I'd appreciate it even if it's just while you're around Elvenwall." She said with a bright smile.

After that, she hastened her steps, leading the two of us to an inn within line of sight to the town's gate. The sign on the end held the same logo as the player brand, and Bella looked back at us. "This is where you'll be staying in Elvenwall. If you need anything, I'm on the second floor, third door on the left." She said, entering the inn.

Diane and I looked at one another curiously, before turning and heading into the inn. There, a beautiful elven woman with blonde hair and green eyes grinned broadly at us. "Welcome, welcome! I heard that there would be two new guests. I'm Patricia, and this is my inn, the Long Rest. Let me know if you need anything. Just asking, would you prefer two rooms, or to share?"

"Two rooms, please." Diane answered with a calm nod, and Patricia quickly pulled two keys out of her inventory, handing them over to us.

"Of course. You never know sometimes." She said in a playful tone. "If you get hungry, we have meals at six in the morning and evening."

This felt weird. Everyone was being so… so nice! I kept waiting for another shoe to drop, like finding out that they were secretly harvesting the blood of Players to form some magic elixir of immortality. Instead, I was shown to my room, where I scanned everything with Detective Analysis, only to find that there wasn't a single item enchanted in the room.

Have you ever been in a game where players are treated like this? I asked Diane privately once we were both in our rooms.

A few times. Most of them turn out to be horror scenarios. Some of the time, like this city, it's because players are considered a valuable resource. She responded after a moment. They want to entice us to stay here, because this is one of the places under the most threat. Players can become stronger naturally, unlike Fallen.

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They need every player that's willing to stay and join their army. However, they know that they can't force it, or the player will run away or delete their character before getting strong enough to be of use. So, they flatter, they give players the best impression possible. That way, even if a player leaves, they'll tell other players about how great it is here, drawing in those who are high enough level to fight.

This isn''t just a matter of them respecting players. What they truly respect is the potential strength players possess, and their inevitable fate that will lead them to fight the strongest monsters around, those that pose a danger to the elven kingdom as a whole. That's why they are willing to invest so much into players.

Most likely, that Castellan guy is going to try to find all of the skills you asked for, especially the ones for you yourself. He'll still look for some for me, but not as passionately. After all, it's easy to say that there just weren't many suitable skills available, since my requirements don't align very well with the locals.

But for you, he'll go out of his way to invite people from other cities if he has to, and have them set up the easiest quests they can for the skills you want. After all, as a ten-star trait holder, your potential would far outstrip that of normal players. If he managed to get you to become a permanent resident of Evergreen, I wouldn't be surprised if the elven queen herself bestowed a reward on him. So be careful, because he'll probably try to use anything to entice you, from money to skills to women.

Reading that last part, I narrowed my eyes slightly. You think Bella might be a honey trap?

Probably not. She responded swiftly. Bella's another player. Castellan won't easily sacrifice his relationship with a player that's already shown a willingness to stay in Evergreen until now for an unknown, even one with your potential. Though, part of her quest might have been to gather information on us. But, Fallen or NPC women, he will probably try to introduce you to a few.

Take a look at our innkeeper. She was probably put in this position because of her looks. Make sure players have something nice to see when they come back from a hard hunt, or when they wake up first thing in the morning, and they'll be more likely to want to stay. Most of the shop owners will be similarly beautiful men or women. As for your skill coaches, he'll probably make them all women. If there is a skill that is only owned by a male, he would try to have that man teach the skill to a woman through a quest. It's all part of a strategy to keep as many players as possible.

While this wasn't exactly the horrific situation I initially feared when confronted with their attitude, I somehow felt that it was worse. Worse for me, specifically, since I knew the consequences of what would happen if they found out I wasn't an active player. We'll need to be extra careful, then. I won't be able to give you any quests while we're anywhere near a city, or while we're with Bella.

You also can't add anyone in Evergreen to your friends list. Diane reminded me quickly. Don't forget, the friends list notes whether you are an active player, a chosen, or a fallen. If you add anyone to your friends list, everything will immediately fall apart.

The tightrope that I was walking suddenly felt as if it had become a lot thinner. How would a normal player refuse to add someone to their friends list?

For introverted players, they'll make excuses like not wanting to add people that they aren't too familiar with, or wanting to save it for some friends they're waiting to join the game. Others might politely decline, saying that they're not looking to expand their list, when really they just don't want to deal with messages from people they don't know well.

I took a deep breath, glad to know that there was at least a valid reason not to add someone to the list if they asked. I'd have to play a more introverted role to make the excuse work, but it was better than my secret being revealed here, where every gift felt like a poisoned dagger. Anything else that you think I should note?

Diane's response was swift. Don't keep your brand lit all the time like you usually do. It's not typically a problem because we don't interact with the same people regularly enough for them to notice. However, if we assume that the city is one collective entity watching us, then people will quickly find out that you never 'log out'. Try to match your brand with mine. When I log out, dim your brand and pretend to be your Chosen. If anyone asks about the timing, tell them that we're siblings, and that your Player restricted your access to the friends list because you kept adding random people or something. And don't reveal your Duke of All Trades skill. Let them think that's just your normal stats as a level one hundred and three player.

I hadn't considered the issue of my brand always being on. Normally, I tend to think it's just easier if people think I'm 'logged in'. That's how it would work in other countries. However, here, they were far more watchful of players, so that could have backfired. As for the level, that was oddly specific, but probably to prevent it seeming unusual if I gave too round of a number.

With a long sigh, I sat cross-legged on the floor and began training. I needed more space to train most of my evolved skills, and enemies if I wanted to train other skills. Thus, the only skills that I could really practice were Ghost Zone and Hawkeye-X. With the former active, I began deploying my vision throughout the inn.

First, I checked the main lobby, seeing Patricia wiping the counter with one hand and a smile on her face. Beneath the counter, her other hand was typing at the air, likely sending a private message to someone. Then, I sent my sight out to the streets, watching the cheerful atmosphere of the city.

I still had a pretty narrow field to where I could project my vision, so it didn't take long to look at everything I could see from the outside. As I did, something tugged at my thoughts. Despite Diane saying that Bella was probably not a spy for Castellan, or a honey trap, I couldn't help but want to make sure. I sent my vision into the room she had mentioned.

When I did, I found her sitting on her bed, curtains drawn over the window and the lights dimmed. Sweat covered her face as she took a heavy breath, trying to meditate. I first looked at her hands, ensuring that she didn't seem to be typing anything for a solid minute, and then looked up at her eyes to see if it looked like she was reading a message.

My eyes widened when I saw her face. Not because she was reading a system message, but rather when I saw her forehead. Her brand wasn't just dim, as I had seen before. It was burnt out entirely.

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