The familiar glow of the teleportation crystal gradually faded behind Rio and Ryota as they arrived in the Town of Beginnings.
For a brief moment, Rio remained where she stood, allowing her eyes to adjust to the familiar surroundings. The afternoon sunlight stretched across the stone-paved streets, illuminating the rows of wooden buildings and colorful banners hanging above the storefronts. At the center of town, the fountain continued to spray clear water into the air, its gentle splashing almost drowned out by the lively conversations of the surrounding players.
Merchants called out from their stalls, advertising everything from inexpensive weapons and basic armor to food, potions, and miscellaneous adventuring supplies. The smell of freshly cooked meat drifted through the marketplace, mingling with the occasional burst of laughter and the clatter of equipment as players moved between shops. Somewhere nearby, a group of beginners was arguing over the best way to defeat a rabbit-like monster, while another party celebrated what appeared to be their first successful hunt.
The town had not changed much since Rio's last visit.
Players still filled nearly every corner, although their equipment and apparent experience varied considerably. Some wore the basic starter gear they had received upon creating their characters, carrying simple weapons that looked barely capable of surviving a serious fight. Others had already upgraded their equipment with leather boots, slightly sturdier armor, and weapons purchased from the local shops. A few more experienced adventurers wandered through the streets with the relaxed confidence of people who had already learned the basics and were now helping their friends become accustomed to the game.
Not everyone was interested in combat, however.
A group of players had gathered around a street performer who was attempting to juggle three wooden swords, cheering whenever he managed to keep them in the air for more than a few seconds. Nearby, several beginners were taking turns fishing in a small pond, celebrating whenever someone managed to catch something. At a food stall, a player wearing an absurdly oversized hat was engaged in a heated argument with an NPC over the price of a skewer, while his companions stood behind him laughing at his expense.
It was an ordinary, peaceful scene, and that was precisely what made Rio smile.
They had spent so much time on the higher floors that returning to the Town of Beginnings felt almost nostalgic. Floor Three had become a place where danger could appear without warning, where a single mistake might attract the attention of a creature capable of overwhelming an entire party. Even resting required preparation, and every expedition carried the possibility of encountering something far more dangerous than expected.
Here, however, many players could still enjoy Evermount without constantly worrying about being devoured by a monster or losing most of their hard-earned belongings.
For some, the game was a battlefield. For others, it was a race to the top, a place where rankings, rare equipment, and powerful skills determined their standing among the player community. But there were also people who simply wanted to explore a beautiful world, make friends, earn a little money, and experience things that would have been impossible in reality.
Rio watched as two beginners proudly showed off a rabbit-like monster one of them had managed to defeat. Their excitement was so genuine that she found herself smiling again before quietly exhaling.
It's nice to see that Floor One hasn't changed.
Beside her, Ryota stretched his arms above his head and looked around with an expression of exaggerated relief.
"Man, it's been a while since we were here."
Rio glanced at him. "It's only been a few days."
"A few days on Floor Three," Ryota corrected, lowering his arms. "That place makes a single night feel like a month. I'm pretty sure I've aged five years since we left."
"You haven't."
"Emotionally, I have."
"That's unfortunate."
Ryota placed a hand over his chest as though she had struck him with a devastating attack.
"Can't you show a little sympathy for your exhausted co-leader? I've endured unimaginable hardships."
Rio turned and began walking down the street without waiting for him.
"No."
He hurried after her, clearly unwilling to let the matter end so easily.
"You're supposed to be the compassionate guild master."
"I'm compassionate toward people who deserve it."
"And I don't?"
Rio gave him a sideways glance. "You're still alive, aren't you?"
Ryota stared at her for several seconds before letting out a long, defeated sigh.
"...I really need to renegotiate my benefits."
Despite the teasing, he fell into step beside her, and the two continued through the crowded streets. Their conversation gradually faded as Rio's attention shifted away from the surrounding players and toward the problems waiting for them back on Floor Three.
The encounter with the Ouzame had been a painful reminder that Crowned Era's headquarters was not automatically safe simply because its location was hidden. The wild bear beast that had wandered into the base had demonstrated the same problem from an entirely different direction. Their headquarters might be difficult for ordinary players to locate, but concealment alone was not enough to guarantee its safety.
The mountain provided natural protection, while the dangerous creatures inhabiting the nearby grove discouraged careless visitors from approaching. The ancient cave ruins also offered a relatively narrow passage that could be monitored, making it easier to detect anyone attempting to enter through the tunnels.
Those advantages were useful, but they were not foolproof.
A powerful monster did not need to discover their location through deliberate investigation. It could simply wander into the wrong territory, follow an unfamiliar scent, or become attracted by some disturbance near the grove. If that happened again, their defenses might prove inadequate before anyone had time to respond.
We need a better defensive arrangement.
Rio mentally reviewed the headquarters' layout, considering the weaknesses exposed by the recent attack. The cave entrance needed a more reliable guard rotation, while the path through the grove required better surveillance. The NPC guards stationed around the property also needed improved equipment, particularly the swordsmen and crusaders who had been caught outside when the bear beast attacked.
She could recruit additional guards, reinforce their armor, and establish a warning system that would alert the headquarters whenever something large approached either entrance. If they could detect an approaching threat early enough, the guards would have time to retreat to a defensible position and call for assistance instead of being forced to confront a dangerous creature without preparation.
However, strengthening the physical defenses was only part of the problem.
Their strongest members could not remain at the headquarters indefinitely.
Rio, Ryota, Kiraya, Hinabi, and Sayanaki all had their own responsibilities. Crowned Era needed to explore other floors, clear dungeons, collect materials, develop its members, and investigate the threats that might become more dangerous in the future. If they wanted the guild to grow, they could not afford to spend every day protecting the same patch of mountain.
Leaving one of their strongest fighters behind whenever the others went on an expedition would slow their progress considerably. It would also place an unreasonable burden on whichever member was assigned to remain behind.
Rio frowned slightly as she considered the possibilities.
Perhaps she could establish a rotation among their stronger members, allowing different people to take responsibility for the headquarters on different days. That would provide a more reliable defense without forcing anyone to remain behind permanently.
Unfortunately, it would still mean that someone would have to sacrifice valuable time whenever the rest of the guild needed to leave.
She was still considering the problem when Ryota glanced at her.
"You're doing that thing again."
Rio looked at him. "What thing?"
"The thing where you stare into the distance and start mentally organizing the entire world."
"I'm thinking."
"Exactly. That's the thing."
Rio ignored him and continued walking.
Ryota watched her for another moment before raising a hand as though he had just discovered the answer to a difficult puzzle.
"Why don't we just ask Auram to guard the headquarters?"
Rio's thoughts paused long enough for her to look at him properly.
Ryota immediately took advantage of her attention.
"Think about it. He's strong enough to handle most monsters on Floor Three, and the NPC guards could support him. We wouldn't need to worry about ordinary players breaking in, and if something dangerous wandered into the grove, Auram could deal with it before it reached the entrance." He folded his arms with an air of absolute confidence. "Problem solved."
Rio remained silent.
Ryota tilted his head.
"...What?"
"Nothing."
"You're making that face."
"What face?"
"The face that means you think my idea is terrible."
Rio resumed walking.
"Because it is."
Ryota hurried after her, looking genuinely offended.
"How is it terrible? Auram is practically a walking fortress!"
"I know."
"Then what's the problem?"
Rio sighed, wondering how someone who could occasionally make surprisingly perceptive observations could also miss such an obvious consideration.
"Auram is accompanying us because we promised to help him rescue Lib and Girsu from Liblee. He didn't join our efforts because he wanted to spend the rest of his time standing outside our headquarters and chasing away monsters."
Ryota opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out immediately.
Rio continued, keeping her tone calm and measured.
"I trust Auram's strength. If we left him alone to defend the headquarters, I have no doubt that he could protect the place from most threats. The problem isn't whether he's capable of doing it."
She turned her gaze toward him.
"The problem is that we would be taking advantage of him."
Ryota's expression softened as he considered her words.
Rio was right. Auram was not simply a powerful NPC they could assign to whatever task was most convenient. He had his own purpose, his own people to protect, and a personal enemy he needed their help to confront. Their agreement had been built around the promise that they would work together to save Lib and Girsu, not around the expectation that Auram would become a permanent guardian for their guild.
They had asked him to accompany them because they needed each other's help. That did not give them the right to disregard his goals whenever doing so made their lives easier.
Besides, Auram already had another responsibility.
"I've temporarily asked him to watch over Ramos," Rio added.
Ryota blinked. "Ramos?"
"He's still recovering. I assigned Auram to guard his room, and I sent four NPC guards to assist him."
Ryota nodded slowly.
That arrangement made sense. Ramos was a valuable witness to the events surrounding Doctor Luscius and the kidnappings, and his knowledge could become important as Crowned Era investigated the people responsible. Epsilon Dawn and the other hostile guilds had already demonstrated that they were willing to target him. Rio had no intention of allowing them to get their hands on him again simply because the guild's attention had been diverted elsewhere.
"I don't want Epsilon Dawn or another guild getting their hands on Ramos," Rio explained. "Keeping him safe is already a responsibility we've accepted. I won't weaken that protection just to make our own headquarters more convenient to defend."
Ryota scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"Fair enough. I suppose we shouldn't make Auram do everything."
"Exactly."
"But I still think we should recruit a giant stone knight whose only job is to stand at the entrance and glare at people."
Rio turned her head toward him.
"We already have guards."
"Yes, but do any of them have the ability to glare at someone so hard that they reconsider their life choices?"
"Ryota."
"What? I'm brainstorming."
"Brainstorm somewhere else."
He laughed and raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright. I'll leave the defensive planning to the professional."
Rio shook her head, although a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Ryota's suggestions were often ridiculous, but every so often, he stumbled into an idea worth considering. More importantly, he had a habit of reminding her that she did not need to solve every problem alone.
That did not mean she could afford to neglect their headquarters, however. She would still need to review the guard arrangements, reinforce the entrances, and find a solution that did not depend on Auram remaining behind whenever the others went exploring.
For now, though, they had another destination.
Suo had contacted her, and Rio wanted to understand why.
The two continued through the Town of Beginnings, following the route toward the location Suo had provided. As they passed the central marketplace, Rio noticed several players turning their heads toward them. At first, she paid little attention to it. Their appearance was unusual enough to attract a second glance, particularly among beginners who were accustomed to seeing players wearing starter equipment.
Then she noticed where some of their attention was directed.
Several players were looking at the small guild identifiers displayed beside their names.
Rio slowed to a stop.
Ryota took another step before realizing she was no longer beside him. He turned around and found her studying the interface hovering in front of her.
"What is it?"
Instead of answering immediately, Rio opened her player settings. A translucent window appeared before her, displaying her character information, equipment, current status, and guild affiliation. She navigated through the menus until she reached the section controlling the visibility of her profile and guild information.
Her settings were already configured to conceal most of her identifying details.
Only a shortened label appeared beside her character name.
CERA Rio.
The Apex guild emblem was hidden.
Ryota leaned over slightly to examine the interface, then looked at her in surprise.
"...Wait. Why did you hide the guild emblem?"
"To avoid unwanted attention," Rio replied as she continued adjusting the settings.
"From whom?"
"Everyone."
He stared at her.
Rio closed one of the menus and finally explained her reasoning.
"We're on the lower floors. Most of the players here are beginners or casual adventurers. If they see the emblem of an Apex guild beside our names, some of them will become curious. Others might start asking questions."
She glanced toward a group of players examining weapons outside a nearby shop.
"And then there are the people who will immediately ask to join."
Ryota considered that possibility.
Rio continued before he could interrupt.
"Some players might genuinely want to join us, and that's fine. But others will approach us because they think joining an Apex guild will give them access to rare equipment, free resources, or protection from stronger players. If we walk around displaying the emblem everywhere, we'll attract people who are interested in the status rather than the guild itself."
She returned to the settings and confirmed the changes.
"And I don't want to spend the next hour explaining our recruitment policy to strangers."
Ryota slowly nodded, apparently recognizing the inconvenience she was trying to avoid. He opened his own player settings, navigated to the guild information section, and changed his profile visibility to match hers.
A moment later, his identifier updated.
CERA Ryota.
He examined it with an expression of quiet satisfaction.
"Done. Now I look mysterious."
Rio started walking again.
"You look like someone who changed his settings."
"That's the foundation of mystery."
"Is it?"
"Absolutely."
Rio decided not to waste any more time on that conversation.
They continued away from the busiest part of the marketplace and into a quieter section of town. The streets remained lively, but the noise gradually softened as the largest shops gave way to smaller stores, residential buildings, and benches positioned beneath the shade of broad trees. Players sat together in small groups, chatting about their recent adventures, while others checked their inventories or discussed which areas they planned to explore next.
Rio checked the location Suo had sent her.
They were getting close.
After another few minutes, she spotted a familiar figure sitting on a wooden bench near the edge of a small plaza.
Suo.
The young woman sat with her hands loosely clasped in her lap. Her shoulders were slumped, and her gaze remained fixed on the stone pavement beneath her feet. Unlike the other players nearby, who were chatting with friends or examining their inventories, Suo appeared completely distracted.
There was a sadness in her expression that immediately caught Rio's attention.
She looked as though she had been sitting there for quite some time, turning the same problem over in her mind without finding a satisfactory answer.
Rio slowed her pace.
Ryota noticed the change in her expression and followed her gaze.
"That her?"
Rio nodded.
"Yes."
The two approached the bench. Suo did not notice them until their shadows fell across the pavement in front of her. She raised her head, blinked, and then froze.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the pair standing before her.
"...Huh?"
Rio gave her a small, friendly smile.
"Hello, Suo."
Ryota raised one hand in greeting.
"Hey."
Suo's eyes widened. She looked from Rio to Ryota, then back to Rio again, as though she needed to confirm that she wasn't imagining things.
"R-Rio? Ryota?"
Rio tilted her head.
"That's us."
Suo immediately stood from the bench, her earlier dejection momentarily replaced by surprise.
"I didn't expect you to come so quickly!"
"We were already in town," Rio replied. "Your message sounded important, so we decided to come and hear what happened."
Suo stared at them for another moment before letting out a nervous laugh. She bowed her head slightly, seeming uncertain how to express her gratitude.
"Thank you for coming. And I'm sorry for contacting you so suddenly. I know you must be busy, especially if you've been spending time on the higher floors."
"It's fine," Rio assured her. "You don't need to apologize for asking for help."
Suo straightened, and her gaze lingered on Rio's face for a moment longer than necessary.
Something about the sight of the two of them standing together felt strangely familiar. Their character appearances resembled their real-world counterparts closely enough that seeing them in Evermount occasionally felt like meeting them at school. Their expressions, their posture, and even the small habits they displayed while talking were recognizable.
It made the game feel less like a distant virtual world and more like a place where their everyday lives had simply taken another form.
Suo eventually shook off the thought and gestured toward the bench.
"Would you like to sit?"
Ryota immediately accepted the invitation.
"Gladly. My legs are tired."
Rio glanced at him.
"We've been walking for less than half an hour."
"Exactly. It's been a very difficult journey."
Suo blinked at the exchange before a small laugh escaped her.
It wasn't much, but the sound eased some of the tension that had been weighing on her expression. Rio sat beside her while Ryota took the other end of the bench, stretching his legs out as though he had just completed a long expedition.
Once they were settled, Rio turned toward Suo and gave her her full attention.
"Alright. Tell me what's going on."
Suo's smile gradually faded. She looked down at her hands again, rubbing her fingers together as she gathered her thoughts.
"...I'm having a problem with the public raid dungeon."
Rio's expression became attentive.
"The public raid dungeon?"
Suo nodded.
"Yes. The one near the beginner hunting grounds. I've been trying to use it to level up, but recently a group of higher-level players started blocking the entrance."
Ryota's relaxed expression changed immediately.
"Blocking it? Why?"
"Because they've decided the dungeon belongs to them."
Suo's voice carried a bitterness that had not been present a moment earlier.
"They've started treating it like their own private territory. They stand around the entrance, refuse to let other players inside, and demand copper coins from anyone who wants to use it."
Rio remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"They claim that because they're stronger than everyone else, they have the right to control the dungeon. If someone wants to enter, they have to pay. If they refuse, the group threatens them or drives them away."
Ryota stared at her in disbelief.
"...They're charging people to use a public dungeon?"
Suo nodded.
"Exactly."
She clasped her hands together more tightly, her frustration becoming increasingly difficult to hide.
"And they won't even let certain players inside, regardless of whether they can pay."
Rio's gaze sharpened.
"What do you mean?"
Suo hesitated before answering, and the brief pause suggested that this particular part of the incident had been especially humiliating for her.
"They wouldn't let us non-combat classes use the dungeon."
Her words were quiet, but the anger beneath them was unmistakable.
"I'm an Explorer Scout, not a combat class. I can scout routes, identify monsters, and help a party avoid dangerous encounters, but I'm not built to fight large groups of enemies by myself. I need the experience from low-level dungeons to keep progressing."
She gave a small, frustrated laugh.
"But apparently, that means I'm not worth letting inside."
Ryota's expression darkened.
"That's ridiculous. If the dungeon is public, they don't get to decide that everyone else has to pay them just to enter."
Suo lowered her eyes.
"I tried explaining that. They didn't care."
She paused, as though remembering the conversation still irritated her.
"They said the dungeon was dangerous and that they were providing a service by keeping weaker players from getting themselves killed. According to them, the entrance fee is the price for their protection."
Her mouth tightened.
"But they don't actually protect anyone. They just stand there and demand money."
Rio listened without interrupting, her expression composed.
The situation was straightforward enough to understand, but the implications were more troubling than Suo's initial description suggested. A group of higher-level players had established control over a public dungeon on Floor One. They were using their combat advantage to intimidate beginners, collect copper coins, and determine who was permitted to progress.
It was a crude form of monopolization, made possible by the difference in power between the people controlling the entrance and the people who needed access to the dungeon.
The victims were mostly inexperienced players. Many of them probably lacked the combat ability, equipment, or confidence necessary to challenge the group. Even if they understood that the demands were unreasonable, refusing could mean being threatened, driven away, or dragged into a fight they had little chance of winning.
In a game where death meant losing a substantial portion of one's equipment, experience, and money, even a minor confrontation could carry a serious cost for someone who was still struggling to build a character.
The group at the entrance had found a way to profit from that fear.
They were not merely charging people for convenience. They were exploiting the very weakness that made beginners vulnerable in the first place.
Rio had seen this kind of behavior before.
In her previous life, she had watched powerful players and influential guilds turn their advantages into instruments of control. Sometimes they justified their actions as necessary for the greater good. Sometimes they claimed that their strength gave them the right to make decisions for everyone else. And sometimes, they simply assumed that nobody would dare challenge them.
The excuses changed, but the underlying attitude remained the same.
If you're strong enough, you can decide what everyone else is allowed to do.
Rio's fingers curled slightly against her knee.
She knew better than most people how easily strength could become an excuse for cruelty. She had once stood at the top of Evermount, believing that the guild she had devoted fifteen years of her life to was a place where effort and loyalty mattered. Then, when her position became inconvenient to the people who held power over her, the privileges she had earned were stripped away and her contributions were quietly dismissed.
They had not needed to defeat her in battle.
They had simply used their authority to shut her out.
She remembered the notices that had appeared across her interface, the permissions she had lost, and the public announcement that claimed she had stepped down for personal reasons. Years of effort had been reduced to a convenient explanation that protected the people who had betrayed her.
The players surrounding the public dungeon were operating on a much smaller scale, but the principle was disturbingly familiar.
They were taking something that should have been accessible to everyone and treating it as their personal property simply because nobody present was powerful enough to stop them.
Rio slowly relaxed her fingers.
She had no intention of allowing the anger from her previous life to dictate every decision she made in this one. She had already learned the cost of trusting the wrong people and the danger of allowing emotion to cloud her judgment. If she wanted to protect the people around her, she needed to understand the situation before deciding how to respond.
But understanding a problem did not mean she had to tolerate it.
Across the bench, Ryota noticed that Rio had stopped moving entirely. He recognized the stillness in her posture, the subtle change in her eyes, and the way her expression had become almost unnaturally calm.
He knew that look.
It was the expression she wore when something had genuinely irritated her and she was carefully deciding what to do about it.
Suo, however, was too occupied with explaining her predicament to notice.
"I'm only level eleven," she continued. "I've been trying to find another place to grind, but the monsters around the nearby hunting grounds don't give enough experience anymore. I could try going farther away, but I don't know which areas would be safe for my level."
She finally looked toward Rio, her expression hesitant.
"So... I was hoping you might know another dungeon or a low-level monster grinding area I could use. Somewhere I could level up without having to deal with those players."
Suo quickly raised one hand, as though she feared that she had already asked for too much.
"And I'm sorry again for bothering you. I know you're busy, and I don't want to make this your problem. I just didn't know who else to ask."
Rio studied her for a moment.
Level eleven.
An Explorer Scout.
A player who was trying to find a safe way to level up because a group of stronger players had effectively taken control of the dungeon she needed.
It was a frustrating situation, especially because Rio knew Suo well.
Or, more accurately, she had known Suo well in her previous life.
Back then, Suo had been a close friend of hers. Rio remembered her determination, her curiosity, and the way she refused to abandon a goal simply because her first attempt had failed. She also remembered how much Suo valued the freedom to explore the game independently, learning its secrets at her own pace rather than relying entirely on other players.
Seeing her sitting on a bench with such a defeated expression stirred something uncomfortable in Rio's chest.
She had not expected to encounter this particular problem so early in the new timeline. Nor had she expected Suo to be one of the people caught in the middle of it.
The game had changed, and Rio's circumstances were different, but some things remained stubbornly familiar. There would always be people who used their advantages to push others around, and there would always be people who were forced to choose between enduring unfair treatment and risking everything to resist it.
Rio had spent her previous life climbing toward the top, believing that becoming stronger would give her the freedom to decide her own path. Now that she had been given another chance, she was determined not to repeat the mistakes that had left her powerless when it mattered most.
She was not going to solve every injustice in Evermount. That would be impossible, and she had her own goals to pursue.
But Suo was her friend.
And this was a problem she could help with.
"You're not bothering us," Rio said at last. "And you don't need to apologize for asking for help."
Suo looked up, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes.
Rio continued, "There are places where a level-eleven Explorer Scout can gain experience without having to fight large groups of enemies. I can help you find one."
Relief briefly crossed Suo's face.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Rio paused, then leaned forward slightly.
"But before we decide where you should go, I want to understand the situation a little better."
Suo nodded.
"Alright."
"Which guild is responsible for this?"
Suo opened her mouth to answer.
Before she could speak, however, a sudden commotion erupted from the direction of the town square.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK IN THERE WITHOUT PAYING?!"
The shout rang across the plaza, loud enough to turn the heads of several nearby players. Conversations faltered as people looked toward the source of the disturbance.
Another voice answered, its anger nearly matching that of the first speaker.
"It's a public dungeon! You can't claim ownership just because you're stronger!"
The argument grew louder, and more players began gathering around the square. Some hurried toward the source of the shouting, while others stopped where they stood to watch from a distance. Within moments, the ordinary bustle of the marketplace had begun to give way to a growing crowd of curious onlookers.
Suo immediately turned toward the noise.
The color seemed to drain from her expression.
"...They're here."
Rio rose from the bench.
Ryota stood beside her, his earlier relaxed demeanor disappearing as he looked toward the crowd.
Rio glanced at Suo.
"Is that them?"
Suo nodded, swallowing nervously.
"Yes. They're the ones blocking the dungeon."
For a moment, Rio said nothing. She looked toward the town square, listening to the voices growing louder as the confrontation continued. She could not yet see what was happening, but the hostility in the shouting was unmistakable.
A public dungeon was supposed to be a shared resource, available to players who met its requirements and were willing to face its challenges. It was not the private property of whichever group happened to be strong enough to occupy its entrance.
If the players controlling the dungeon wanted to establish a legitimate party or organize a raid, that was their choice. If they wanted to offer assistance to beginners who struggled with the monsters inside, that was fine as well.
But demanding payment under threat of violence was something else entirely.
And refusing access to entire classes simply because their combat abilities were less impressive made their intentions even clearer.
They were not trying to help beginners.
They were deciding who deserved to play.
Rio's expression remained calm, but the warmth that had appeared on her face when she first arrived in town had disappeared. In its place was the quiet, measured look of someone who had identified a problem and was preparing to examine it for herself.
She turned toward Suo.
"Let's go see what's happening."
Ryota nodded.
"Right behind you."
Suo hurried after them as the three crossed the plaza toward the commotion. More players were gathering around the center of the square, their voices mixing into an increasingly loud chorus of arguments, complaints, and speculation. A few people tried to peer between the others to see what was happening, while those at the front of the crowd exchanged uneasy looks.
Rio moved through the gathering players with a calm expression, though her attention had sharpened considerably.
She had come to the Town of Beginnings expecting to meet an old friend and learn why Suo had contacted her. She had anticipated a conversation, perhaps a request for advice, and a little time away from the dangers waiting on the higher floors.
Instead, she had discovered that a group of stronger players was exploiting the beginners of Floor One, using their superior combat ability to turn a public dungeon into a source of private income.
The problem was not simply that they were demanding copper coins.
It was that they had decided nobody weaker than them had the right to refuse.
Rio understood the temptation to solve such a problem through sheer force. It would have been easy to march toward the dungeon, defeat the players responsible, and leave them with a clear warning not to repeat their behavior. But she had learned that defeating someone was not always the same as resolving the problem they represented.
If the group had established its control through intimidation, removing its members from the entrance might only create an opportunity for another group to take their place. If their behavior had become profitable enough, someone else might eventually decide to imitate them.
She needed to understand who they were, how they had organized themselves, and whether they believed their control over the dungeon was something they could defend.
First, however, she needed to see the situation with her own eyes.
Rio continued toward the center of the crowd, Ryota walking beside her while Suo followed close behind.
Whatever happened next, she intended to find out who was responsible.
And if the players at the dungeon entrance believed that their strength gave them the right to decide how everyone else could play Evermount, they were about to discover that not everyone would quietly accept their rules.
Rio's gaze settled on the gathering crowd ahead.
Her visit to the Town of Beginnings was about to become considerably more troublesome than she had planned.