Chapter 32: The Second No

"Unrivaled. Got a minute?"

Something about the voice tugged at his memory before he’d even turned around.

He did, and found himself facing a striking woman in fitted crimson armor deep red hair, sharp red eyes, every line of her gear cut for both function and effect.

A longsword rested easy at her hip, the kind of weapon that only looked comfortable in the hands of someone who’d actually bled for the skill to use it.

Above her head, four letters resolved into a name.

EvertideHerald.

Alexis Kane. In his last life, her blade had been the only one on the server that gave his own real trouble. Kael kept his expression flat, gave nothing away.

"What do you need?"

"Straight to the point. I like that." Alexis didn’t waste any time either. "I’m here to offer you a place at Evertide Studios."

"You’ve already made an enemy of Ironclad. I don’t doubt your class carries you through most of what they can throw right now but that won’t hold forever.

Give them a week to level and gear properly, and the math starts looking a lot less comfortable for a solo player."

"Sign with me, and Ironclad won’t so much as look at you sideways again." Her tone stayed level, confident. "I’ll make sure the terms are worth your time.

And more than that my studio will build you into exactly what this server’s been missing since Kael Mercer walked away. The next true number one."

She finished with a small, certain smile, red eyes steady on his, clearly expecting the offer to land.

Kael didn’t hesitate.

"I appreciate it. But I’m not interested in joining anyone’s studio."

Something flickered across her face surprise, quickly buried. "Why not? You’re planning to stay solo through the entire game?"

"This isn’t just about mechanics and talent. It’s about intel, resources, backing." She pressed, genuinely trying to understand the refusal rather than just brush past it.

"A lone player hits a wall eventually no network, no support structure, and all that raw potential ends up wasted for lack of the infrastructure to actually use it."

"Appreciate the concern. I’ll manage the intel and resources side myself."

Kael’s answer came easy, unbothered, the same flat certainty as the first no.

Alexis’s brow creased. Twice in one day now first Kael Mercer that morning, and now this masked stranger, both turning her down without so much as pretending to weigh the offer.

Are all the genuinely talented ones built this stubborn?

She wasn’t chasing him for money or status she genuinely had both to spare. What she couldn’t figure out was what else there was to offer someone who didn’t want either.

For the first time in longer than she could remember, recruiting felt like actual work.

Kael watched the frustration play out across her face and let a faint, not unkind smile show through the mask’s tone filter.

"Anything else? If not, I’ve got a night’s sleep waiting on me."

"Wait." She caught him before he could turn away. "One more thing. If you ever come into surplus gear anything you don’t have use for would you consider selling directly to my studio instead of the open auction?"

"I’ll match fair market value, guaranteed. No lowballing, and it saves you the auction house’s ten percent cut on every sale.

Straightforward deal, no strings."

Kael actually considered that one.

In his last life, he’d done business with Alexis more than a few times, enough to know her reputation held up old money backing meant she never needed to squeeze a seller on price, and she never had.

A standing buyer meant fewer trips wasted haggling over listings, and it cost him nothing to say yes.

There was a longer game in it too. A favor banked now was a door left open later, and doors like that had a way of mattering more than they looked like they would in the moment.

"Deal. Good gear comes your way first, so long as the price stays fair." Alexis’s whole expression brightened. "Add me as a contact, then."

A friend request pinged through before he’d finished nodding. He accepted, traded a few minutes of easy conversation, and logged off the exchange on genuinely good terms a rare thing, this early into launch, with someone he’d just told no twice in the same conversation.

A few minutes later, a priest in pale robes jogged up beside Alexis, practically vibrating with curiosity.

"Well? Did you close it?"

"Didn’t happen." Alexis exhaled, shaking her head. "Same as Kael this morning. Straight refusal, no negotiation, nothing that moved him."

"Seriously? Even your money couldn’t crack him?" The priest gamertag SnowPetal crossed her arms, thinking it over with exaggerated seriousness. "Guess it’s time for the last resort, then."

"The honey trap plan."

"For the good of the studio, obviously." SnowPetal grinned. "One of us just has to take one for the team. Either Kael Mercer or Unrivaled either one solves our whole recruiting problem."

"Absolutely not." Alexis felt her face heat, shooting her friend an unimpressed look. "And why does that plan always end with someone else volunteering me specifically?"

"Fine, fine I’ll take Kael Mercer, you take Unrivaled. Fair split."

"You’ve had a thing for Kael Mercer this entire time and you think I haven’t noticed?"

"That’s completely different! The man’s handsome, skilled, and quick on his feet name one girl who wouldn’t notice that."

SnowPetal put her hands on her hips, entirely unbothered. "Besides, don’t act innocent. I’ve seen your room."

"I will end you."

Back home, Kael ordered dinner, ate without much ceremony, and went straight to bed the moment his plate was empty. Alarm set for 6 AM sharp.

He logged back in right on schedule the next morning and made straight for the Adventurers’ Guild the moment he cleared his front door in-game.

The quest board took no time to find Archmagister Vale’s bounty sat pinned near the top, exactly where Elara had promised it would be.

Kael claimed it, shouldered his gear, and headed out through the eastern gate without breaking stride.

What he didn’t notice was the figure pressed into the shadow of the city wall, watching him go.

The moment Kael cleared the gate, the hidden Assassin cracked open a private channel.

"He’s leaving the city. Moving east."

A reply came back within seconds, clipped and businesslike.

"Good. Keep the tail tight and report every position change. Don’t you dare lose him."