Infinite Realm

"She's gone…" Sato stared at the spot the strange girl originally stood on. He didn't expect her to suddenly vanish that way. Her escaping without him knowing her identity made him feel alert and worried. 

The girl's abilities might not be much for him but it was something most players definitely can't handle. Sato even believed that she might have the ability to take on Riddled Tree, the druid from before, or was even stronger than he was. This was especially so, with the aura her summon had suffused. It was able to handle Seiichi, Fudo and Xue Yan's attacks while still being able to repel him. Such a creature couldn't just be a level 5 or 6 monster. The worst part was that if she happens to be part of a strong faction then he days in Black Mountain town might be so peaceful.

'Oh well. It matters not. I have already offended those east Crow guys and a bunch of other dark players. Adding one more wouldn't matter much.'

"Damn. I didn't even get to know her name." Fudo sighed wistfully. He felt it was a pity to not know her identity not because he lusted after her but because an unknown opponent in the dark was worse than an overpowered one in the light. 

"Her escape method is really strange." Lu Zhen suddenly said.

"Why do you say so?" Fudo asked him.

Lu Zhen explained, "You may not have known but teleportation spells and the likes are banned in the middle of combat. Unless the spell is a skill a player has, it can't be used in combat. I learnt this a while ago, back when we separated."

"So you're saying that what she used was a teleportation spell?" Sato asked.

"What else could it be? It looked like a portal plus her presence has disappeared ever since she went through it. It's most likely a portal to wherever she summoned that creature." Lu Zhen replied.

"Well, what you said does make sense but shouldn't such a place be inhabitable if not inaccessible for us players?" Fudo asked. 

In most VR games that allow players to perform summoning spells, the world where their summons dwell in is usually inhabitable for players. Take for instance if a player where to summon a demon, the demon would usually arrive from the demon realm or some place like that. Such a place cannot cater for the development of players unless they happen to perform certain procedures.

"That's probably why she tore that scroll. It wasn't an escape scroll but a defensive scroll. The portal should be part of her summoning spell and not a skill." Sato said. Back when the girl was about to escape, she had taken out a scroll and torn it. Originally, Sato had thought that it was an attack-type scroll and so hurriedly dashed over to stop her. In the end, all it did was wrap a black mist round her and dragged her into that eerie portal. He guessed that it must have been a special type of scroll that allowed her to pass through the wormhole safely.

"Well enough about that, the other two are still waiting for us." Seiichi said. Due to the fact that they were in somewhat of a hurry and also because the two were way too weak, Sato, Fudo and Seiichi had abandoned Katsuo and Yato. Though Stone Creek Forest was said to be a level 0 map, it was till possible to encounter level 4 or 5 creatures here. Hence, leaving Yato and Katsuo(who were both still level 0) on their own, was almost the same as leaving them to the hands of fate.

"The other two?" Lu Zhen asked with a hint of surprise.

"I'll explain later." Sato said.

With Sato at the lead, the other 4 followed after him as they headed deeper in.

. . . . .

"How long do you think they will take?" Yato asked Katsuo right after he defeated they had defeated a level 2 Black striped boar. Normally, level 0 players would find such a monster difficult to beat but the two of them had worked fluidly to not just beat one but two Black striped boars at the cost of only a few minor injuries. As a result of their arduous training, the two had gotten better at controlling their in-game avatars while also getting close to the level 1 checkpoint.

"Why are you in such a rush? Even if they return and fetch us, our destination is a level 5 map. We are still level 0 and going to such a place is dangerous. A minor scratch would be more than enough to end us." Katsuo sighed. Forgetting their levels, their equipment was trash; the novice kind. Sato didn't purchase any for them since it was pointless. he only agreed to do so once they were level 5 and the two had also agreed with it. Being both weak in strength, both the internal and external kind, Katsuo felt it was too risky to head to Black Grill's Cave.

"Since when were you a softy? Why don't you just exit and go back to being a gorilla." Yato smirked.

"I see. You want to die huh?" Katsuo stared at Yato as a red glint flashed in his eyes.

Seeing Katsuo's towering frame confronting him, Yato was a bit scared but he reined in his fear and stared back at Katsuo in the eye.

"Bring it on gorilla." 

Just as they were about to fight, a teasing voice rang out.

"Hoho? The monkey and the gorilla are about to do battle?"

With the voice coming to an end, Sato appeared alongside Seiichi and the others. The one who spoke was apparently Seiichi as he glanced at the two in front with a derisive smirk.

"Tch, it's four eyes. You're all talk now just because you're higher levelled. Wait till I'm level 5. By then I'd be able to whoop your level 6 ass." Yato fired back.

"I'll be waiting." Seiichi smiled.

Having watched everything that played out, Xue Yan was confused whether these guys were friends or life-time enemies. 

On their way here, Sato had explained everything to Xue Yan. Since their target was a world class boss, they would need as much help as possible. Even though Xue Yan's mission statement had made it seem like it was a level 10 world class boss, it might be level 11. The difference in level wasn't just by a simple one as most players had already began speculating that since they will be able to enter cities at level 10, then the monsters they would find would be much stronger. Hence that difference between a level 10 and level 11 monster wasn't as simple as the difference between a level 9 and a level 10. Disregarding the level difference, there was difference in strength between a level 10 monster and a level 10 world class boss. Just from the fact that it is a one-of-a-kind monster with an impressive reward attached to it, one would know that it would be tough to handle. So the more hands on deck the better.

Xue Yan had thought that the extra hands would be a bunch of strong close friends of Sato but now seeing them, she was a bit disappointed. Ignoring their rascal like behaviour, they were actually level 0. 

'What the hell is he thinking?' Xue Yan stared at Sato.

Xue Yan wasn't the only one who felt this way as Lu Zhen also did, but unlike her, Lu Zhen had this instinct within him that made him trust Sato.

"Alright. Enough bickering like a bunch of kids. Let's go." Sato said.

"Fine." Yato said.

"Yato, Katsuo, meet Lu Zhen and Xue Yan." Sato introduced them with a plain voice.

"Yo." Lu Zhen waved at them.

"Hi." Xue Yan greeted.

"Oh?" Since his focus was on Seiichi when the group arrived, Yato didn't spot Xue Yan, but when his eyes landed on her, they inconspicuously lit up.

"A beauty huh? Is she yours?" Yato asked.

"No." Sato replied immediately.

"Tch. Forever single dies without a jingle[2]. I never expected any less from you." 

"Says the one who got dumped." Seiichi ruthlessly countered.

"...*cough*. So where are we heading next?" Yato awkwardly changed the topic. Despite being dumped, Yato had recovered quite quickly, probably due to the power of friendship. Hence Seiichi's counter didn't result to him breaking down or anything like that. Seiichi obviously knew this and that was why he had mentioned it.

"Next is Black Grill's Cave." Fudo answered.

"I hope you guys prepared? We would be secluding ourselves there." Sato faced Lu Zhen and Xue Yan.

"Yeah. No problem on or side." Lu Zhen nodded.

With all their issues settled, the team began their journey to Black Grill's Cave. Because they had already gone a bit further into Stone creek Forest, the distance remaining could easily be covered in 30 minutes but with Yato and Katsuo being slower than the rest, it would ended up as a 45 minutes journey.

"We would be here for a while; at least 2 days. Once all our preparations are complete, we will fulfill our part of the deal." Sato said to Xue Yan once they were in front of the entrance of Black Grill's Cave.

"Hmm." Xue Yan acquiesced with a nod.

Following that the team entered Black Grill's Cave and so began their 2 day seclusion in Black grill's Cave.

Unknown to them though, a few hours they had entered the Cave, a piece of information had spread throughout the entire neighbouring town. This information had turned the previously peaceful towns into a hectic environment. Guilds mobilized their men, associations gathered together and players formed parties. All of them had one goal in mind and this goal was related to the information spread around. 

The first ever world class boss of Infinite Realm had been discovered.. Its location, 10th floor Middle Region, Black Grill's Cave.