Tony took one step forward toward the portal that led to his first trial at dungeons.

Just as he was about to disappear into the emerald portal, a firm hand grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him to a stop.

"..."

Without saying anything, he slowly turned to find Kratos standing behind him with an expression that practically screamed, "Haven’t you forgotten something?"

Curious, Tony blinked and stepped back.

"We shouldn’t enter yet? Why?"

Kratos folded his arms and looked to the side.

"I’m hungry," he said and began to count with his fingers.

"Didn’t you figure we would need food, water, and possibly a backpack to carry everything? If this dungeon raid lasts longer than expected, starving to death inside would be a pretty embarrassing way to accomplish your promise to your missy.

"Not that I care though," he concluded grumpily.

Tony stared at him for several silent seconds. Of course, he understood the message Kratos was meaning to pass across, and he had thought about it initially.

It just happened to slip off his mind.

But then, after several silent seconds of staring warily at Kratos, the corners of his lips curled upward.

"Big brother... how much Credits do you have to buy everything you just mentioned?"

"..."

Kratos’ confident expression froze. But it seemed to be regained the moment something clicked in his mind.

"Last time, I saved up money. Have you forgotten?"

Tony’s smile became even wider.

"Oh yes, you certainly did. And all those savings disappeared the moment you bought a smartphone," he stated and pointed toward Kratos’ pocket. "So tell me, big brother Kratos, how much profit has your precious phone made you so far?"

Kratos’ face gradually lost all color. Slowly, he slipped the phone out and stared at the dark screen as though expecting it to defend itself.

"..."

"..."

"You don’t expect one of your contact-stage beauties to call and defend you, do you? Or are you expecting the phone to answer on your behalf?" Tony said and walked on.

By the time Kratos looked back up, he had already walked away.

Regaining his composure and brightening his expression once more, Kratos hurried after him.

"Little brother, wait for me!"

As he walked, Tony took out his own phone from his coat and logged into his bank account. Once he did, his gaze immediately landed on the available balance.

It was considerably higher than he had expected it to be.

The previous night, Tony had found a short note that was included together with the handwritten letter Sandra had left behind.

’I transferred enough Credits to cover your expenses for about a month... at least until I come back.’

Tony remembered the exact words as they had been written. Shoving the thought off, he sighed quietly.

"I’m really being taken care of by a girl."

It felt strange.

This was mostly because back then on Earth, he had seen far too many relationships built around money.

In relationships, too many people chased wealth instead of sincerity. Too many smiles disappeared the moment the money did.

This was solely one of the reasons he had shut his heart away. To him, trusting the opposite gender had simply become something he no longer wished to do.

Coupled with the fact that he wasn’t treated with so much love and care while growing up. Remembering all these, Tony halted in his steps.

Somehow, he had transmigrated into the body of someone who lived almost the opposite of his life on Earth. Fortunately for him, and as rare as it turned out to be, he met Sandra, who had quietly, obliviously shattered that belief he grew up with.

In as much as he was embarrassed with it all, he couldn’t help but recount her deeds.

She was always worried about whether he had enough and didn’t seem bothered doing the hard work by herself at all.

Tony’s face twitched.

She even had the guts to ask him to promise to be safe. From the look of things, it seemed her mission was going to be way harder than his. What was she seeing him as?

A newbie who still needed to be babysat?

Getting through with these thoughts, a faint smile appeared on Tony’s face.

’I guess that means there are good people and there are bad ones. The problem is, the bad ones usually make enough noise to drown out the good.’

He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Just then—

"Haa..."

"Haa..."

Kratos finally caught up but was slightly out of breath.

"Couldn’t you wait?"

"I could, and I guess I did, even though unknowingly."

Without another word, Tony shrugged, his facial expression blank as he continued walking.

"...Little brother! Damn, even with my stats, this body is so weak."

Kratos groaned before chasing after him once more.

***

Fortunately, the Monarchs Guild, like other guilds, had anticipated situations like this. That is why, outside every major dungeon entrance, stood rows of merchant stalls dedicated entirely to players.

However, since these dungeon entrances didn’t particularly belong to any guild, the stalls were different and owned by various Merchant Players from the three guilds.

Hence, everything a player could possibly need before venturing into danger could be found in these stalls.

By the time they finished having a conservative meal and shopping, Tony was carrying a sturdy leather backpack filled with preserved food, cooking ingredients, a small fittable pot, and several other necessities.

Kratos, meanwhile, carried only his sword behind him and was brimming with smile.

As they returned before the emerald portal, Tony noticed that other newbies like them who had decided to shop first had all returned.

He happened to recognize several familiar faces, although he couldn’t quite distinguish their guilds since none of them would be granted a guild uniform unless they successfully cleared at least the first tier of the tutorial grounds.

Among the newbies preparing themselves stood Aaron, the boy who had awakened the rare Cursed Speech ability.

Looking back, Tony caught sight of Brian, who busied himself managing one of the larger merchant stalls.

Seeing a potential customer, the merchant waved enthusiastically.

Tony simply nodded back since his hands were occupied. He didn’t think he would need anything from his stall for a while.

Then, he returned his gaze to the front to find the emerald portal ripple. Its light intensified, and from within, a lone figure stepped out.

Tony recognized the figure immediately.

It was a girl with long, ash hair. She possessed an elegant posture, and her watery, blue eyes gave off a calm expression.

Rain Indigo.

Stepping out completely from the portal, which dimmed almost immediately, she dusted off her sleeves before calmly walking away.

Tony’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Seeing that she had emerged from the Normal tier alive, it meant she had accomplished the first step required according to the norms.

He briefly wondered how much stronger she had become and what level she was able to break into after completing it. He also wondered which guild had chosen her.

But the curiosity lasted only a moment.

He wasn’t particularly interested in comparing levels. Nor did he feel the need to ask.

From the look of things, Brian was simply a merchant doing business. Aaron appeared to be minding his own journey. Rain likewise seemed content focusing on her own growth in her own way.

In a way, that was undoubtedly the kind of life Tony preferred.

A life where everyone minded their own business. A life with no unnecessary attention. A life with no pointless conversations and interrogations.

Just progress.

"Well then..." Tony extended the backpack toward Kratos. "...you carry this."

"...Huh?"

Before Kratos could protest, the backpack landed squarely against his chest.

"Oof..."

He staggered backward.

"Little brother..."

Ignoring the complaint entirely, Tony walked toward the portal.

Kratos sighed helplessly before following behind.

Together, they stepped through the emerald portal, and in the same vein, the scenery distorted.

Space twisted around them, then everything became clear again.

Opening their eyes, they found themselves now standing before an enormous cave carved into the side of a rocky mountain of gray stone, which stretched endlessly across its entrance.

Outside, lush green grass swayed gently beneath a cool breeze.

The environment was so beautiful, tranquil, and blissful that it would be difficult to imagine that danger lurked beyond such a landscape.

Kratos adjusted the backpack.

"Little brother, since we’re in the chicken area, I’ll stay behind as rear guard. Or more like... a backup."

Kratos grinned while retrieving the manhwa he had somehow convinced Tony to buy earlier.

"Any beast here should be easy peasy for you. And, oh, I’ll suppress my mana too.

"My normal aura would scare the monsters away before you even get to play with them."

Tony nodded. That was more or less what he had expected.

From the first encounter he had with Kratos and his lamenting about everything with a weak nature being chicken, he didn’t hope on him much for this raid.

Besides, it is good he has the sense to understand he should serve as a backup should anything turn wrong, or worse.

And there was also the other fact about Kratos’ aura. If he released his full pressure, the dungeon would probably become deserted, making him unable to complete the objective of this minor quest.

"I understand," Tony nodded again, and without another word, both of them entered the cave.

The deeper they walked, the dimmer the surroundings became. Although it was lit enough for them to see where they were headed until minutes later.

Tony suddenly stopped.

Ahead of them was darkness. And within that darkness were dozens of pairs of glowing emerald eyes, which seemed to slowly open one after another.

From the darkness, their gaze only seemed to be able to pierce into someone’s soul and even shatter their core of existence if possible. More like a predator preying on its prey.

Careless of the happening, Kratos glanced around before pointing toward a large elevated rock overlooking the cavern and casually walking toward it — a vantage point where he could clearly see what was happening between Tony and the beasts.

"See you later, little brother. Enjoy yourself."

"Oh, don’t let them come my way," he said and looked over his shoulder with a grin. "And don’t waste good meat."

With that, he climbed onto the rocky platform, crossed his legs, opened his manhwa, and immediately became absorbed in reading.

Tony could only shake his head.

His right hand slowly wrapped around the hilt of his sword.

Shing.

The blade slid halfway from its sheath.

The moment the metallic sound echoed through the cave, a guttural growl followed, erupting from the darkness.

BOOM!

One of the creatures exploded forward with terrifying speed, its massive claws reaching straight for Tony’s throat.