The happiest person upon learning that Skadi would be traveling with Tomorrow's Development wasn't Felix or Mostima—it was little Susie.
In just a short time, she had already built a bond with the mysterious warrior. Skadi, for her part, treated the gentle, timid girl with care. Their relationship had shifted from strangers to something warmer in the span of mere days.
Yet, even so, Skadi kept a measure of distance. Deep down, she still believed herself a bearer of misfortune—someone who might bring disaster to Susie if she got too close.
The second happiest, surprisingly, was not Felix either. Nor Mostima. It was… Mahayu.
Yes, this player had, in less than two days, declared herself Skadi's number-one fan. In her personal ranking of NPCs, Felix remained firmly at the top—after all, he was the "breadwinner," the one who put food on the table. But Skadi had secured the second spot with ease. And like many other players smitten by special NPCs, Mahayu couldn't help showering her with gifts these past few days. Each time, Skadi politely declined.
Still, Mahayu wasn't the type to give up. She convinced herself that her "personal questline" simply hadn't been triggered yet, or that they hadn't spent enough time together. And so, she adopted the role of a proper lady, her every move dripping with chivalry and elegance—much to the amusement of her teammates, who struggled not to laugh out loud.
When they had first arrived, Felix had met with the Inquisition to discuss business. But upon leaving, he didn't bother seeking them out again. With Dr. Simon's commission complete, there was no reason to linger in Catalonia.
Lance and his squad piled into their Jeeps, heading back to Laterano. Before parting ways, he clapped Felix on the shoulder and promised: "Next time we meet, the drinks are on me."
Meanwhile, Mahayu and a few other players were preparing to head to Lungmen. They had a lot to pack. Knowing they wouldn't return, they cleared out their warehouses, selling off outdated equipment and surplus items at bargain prices. Mahayu, ever resourceful, petitioned Felix to let them hitch a ride on his transport plane—a request granted. It saved them days of travel.
As for their Inquisition contribution points, the players spent the last of them wisely. Equipment, consumables, anything useful was redeemed. The leftover scraps of points were converted into money.
Felix never crossed paths with Saint Carmen again. Perhaps he hadn't returned from his expedition, or perhaps he was still scouring the seas for signs of disturbance.
From what Felix could glean on the forums, Inquisition agents had already declared the recent anomaly settled. When the next would appear, no one could say.
Through it all, Skadi kept mostly to herself. She sat quietly while everyone busied themselves—sometimes with her massive sword resting against her shoulder, sometimes hugging her knees, her crimson eyes observing the endless comings and goings around her.
Two days later, Felix's group finally departed Catalonia, bound for Lungmen.
It was a shame they hadn't found any trace of Andoain. Still, Felix wasn't surprised. In his current weakened state, Andoain stood no chance against a squad like theirs. Betting his life on a direct fight would have been suicide. Far more likely, he was biding his time somewhere in the shadows, rebuilding his strength, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The Grave Knight—Fiammetta seemed particularly dispirited by this, muttering under her breath.
Mostima and Lemuen stayed close, murmuring soft words of comfort.
But putting Andoain aside, the spoils this time were undeniable. Felix had secured several golden-age blueprints—and, unexpectedly, a rare subclass crystal that could grant him advancement. A true windfall.
By now, player levels had already reached the high 30s—around level 37. Secondary "civilian" classes like Farmer didn't really count. Compared to his past life, progression was faster this time around. No wonder: with Tomorrow's Development constantly dishing out missions, the leveling curve had skyrocketed.
It had been almost a year since the servers opened in Terra time. In Felix's previous life, the highest level at this point had barely reached 35.
Perhaps the acceleration was thanks to the Kazimierz arc, where he had mobilized over two hundred players at once.
Now, with the Catalonia incident behind them, it seemed like another period of respite lay ahead.
Back in Lungmen, Felix returned to his workshop. Before diving into the newly acquired blueprints, he paused. From his inventory, he pulled out something he'd been holding onto for some time: a dungeon crystal he'd never used.
[Midnight Rain Knight: Desperate Battle]
Perfect timing. He could hammer away at some steel, then see how the players reacted once this went live.
Felix set the Dungeon Crystal as a quest reward, tying it to the requirement of earning forty thousand contribution points.
With that handled, he turned back to hammer and steel.
The twin-headed sword was undeniably stylish, but mastering such a weapon took time. Progress through self-training was slow—weapon proficiency wasn't something experience points could upgrade. No, just like in real life, only repeated use honed true skill.
It was a system much like Sword Art Online: weapons and spell proficiencies couldn't be leveled through grinding EXP alone. The more you wielded them, the stronger and sharper they became. A truth that felt almost natural—self-evident.
That black-clad swordsman had taken two and a half years to grind his one-handed sword skill to the 1,000-point cap. Terra, of course, ran on different time mechanics, so proficiency gains worked differently here.
As for Felix, his basic lance proficiency had already climbed to around Level 8. Not through grinding monsters, but through his daily sparring sessions with Degenbrecher. At this level, he could hold his own in Kazimierz Major and likely break into the top twelve.
Rapid progress, though, always came faster with the guidance of a true master. When Felix had left Kazimierz, his lance proficiency had only been Level 4. Just a month of Kirill's instruction had doubled that.
He wasn't planning to abandon the lance, but the ferocity of the twin-headed sword fascinated him. Since committing to the path of a melee fighter, he'd developed all kinds of views about what kind of style to pursue. A "luxury dilemma," perhaps, but one he enjoyed.
That didn't mean he would ever set aside his mechanist's road. His goal was still to build a mechanical army—but its commander would also be able to fight on the front lines. Only then could he be called a true one-man army.
For now, the twin-headed sword would be worth training. Though where on Terra he might find someone proficient with such a bizarre weapon… he wasn't sure.
---
"Welcome home… master."
The heavy doors of the Dynasty Guild's base swung open. Waiting inside was Sheila, the young slave they had purchased in Kazimierz.
She was dressed in a neatly tailored maid's outfit. Though still youthful, her figure had already filled out the uniform well enough. Even so, the timid, fragile aura about her couldn't be hidden.
Huangtian Houtu gave a small nod. Sheila stepped forward, gracefully taking his coat from his shoulders and hanging it neatly to the side.
"Ah… I'll go prepare tea. Please wait a moment."
She dipped into a bow, almost trembling with reverence, then scurried off toward the kitchen like a frightened rabbit.
Huangtian Houtu sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead as he sank into a chair at the round table.
The Dynasty Team hadn't won the championship at last year's world tournament, but they had secured a strong placement—enough to boost their name significantly back home. As an established powerhouse, they wasted no time at Terra's 2.0 launch, onboarding a large wave of recruits into their affiliated guild: Dynasty, the branch meant for ordinary players.
Dynasty's role was simple: support the pro team. Whenever the Dynasty Team needed materials or special items, commissions would be issued to the guild. With the official guild system still incomplete, Dynasty's players had all joined Tomorrow's Development under their banner.
Of course, Dynasty wasn't unique. Other pro teams had done the same. Not even a year into Terra's service, you could walk into any nomadic city or small village and find Tomorrow's Development players flying those banners.
In Lungmen, Tomorrow's Development had secured property for their members. The Dynasty Team bought a villa near the central district as their new base. And Sheila—the timid girl they had bought—naturally became the villa's caretaker.
Huangtian Houtu wasn't bad at handling NPCs. As captain, he was often the one negotiating with Felix, smoothing relations, and managing goodwill. He could talk circles around most.
But at home? He wanted peace. To relax. Having to constantly deal with a timid little girl in a frilly uniform, deferential to the point of awkwardness… that was exhausting.
A lifelong solo, Huangtian Houtu already found it hard enough to interact with NPC women in-game. Now, saddled with a daily companion who looked like a fragile flower, all wide eyes and delicate mannerisms, he just felt tired.
"What the hell… I came here to play an MMORPG, so why does it feel like I'm stuck in some first-person galgame?"
After Sheila poured his tea, the girl stood quietly at his side, waiting for Huangtian Houtu's instructions.
"You can go rest now."
"Ah… yes, Master."
Sheila gave him a sweet, innocent smile, bowed, and left.
(Damn it, she called me Master. That's way too embarrassing!!!)
The corner of Huangtian Houtu's mouth twitched. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Shaking off the thought, he pulled up his system panel out of habit, checking for the latest tasks posted by Tomorrow's Development.
"Hm? …Wait. Forty thousand contribution points, and the reward is… a Dungeon Crystal?!"
His eyes lit up immediately. At last, a new quest that offered a dungeon crystal. The last one had left players battered and screaming, with the overall clear rate still hovering around 68%. Newbies aside, even veteran players were still farming gear inside.
His expression hardened. He grabbed his communicator. With Lungmen's strong signals, devices like this were redundant—but they were still convenient.
Once the news was sent out to his guildmates, Huangtian Houtu sat back with a serious face. He had already noticed the conditions: limited party size, strict level cap, and that ominous title—Midnight Rain Knight: Desperate Battle.
"The highest difficulty dungeon…?"
If Dynasty could secure the first clear, their fame would skyrocket. The upcoming summer season, the All-Star tournament—it would all tilt heavily in their favor.
As team captain, it was his job to make that call.
---
"Welcome to the newest episode of Terra Times! I'm your host, Yang Yan XF."
Dressed in a Tomorrow's Development uniform, Yang Yan XF smiled and waved at the camera. "This is the third broadcast since version 2.0 went live. With more and more players joining every day, Arknights has quickly become the most popular MMORPG in the world."
"I'm Xiaolang."
"And I'm Yue Ye~"
The three hosts bantered cheerfully before diving into the 2.0 content. With the arrival of nomadic cities, strategy groups had a lot more work on their plates. Each Terra Times episode was packed with content, and the weekly columns published alongside it featured discoveries, secrets, and community events.
Viewership had already soared past one million. Yang Yan XF glanced at the scrolling comments and chuckled. "By the way, the full video of Tomorrow's Development's Kazimierz storyline will be uploaded soon by the strategy group. We hope you'll all tune in and support it."
This time, it wasn't just Magic ZX, Yang Yan XF, and their crew—many other creators who had accompanied the Vanguard into Kazimierz would also be sharing their perspectives.
"Oh, and speaking of Tomorrow's Development—have you all seen the new quest?"
"You mean the one with the dungeon crystal reward?"
Yue Ye crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Party size capped at eight, title is Midnight Rain Knight: Desperate Battle. Clearly it's another Midnight Rain Knight dungeon… but with 'Desperate Battle' added. Honestly, I've got a bad feeling."
"A desperate battle, huh… Looks like this will be the toughest dungeon yet."
Yang Yan XF nodded. "The quest requires forty thousand contribution points. Our strategy group will also be tackling it as an official run."
"The level cap is set at 30. We recommend that everyone carefully prepare their gear and skills before attempting it."
At that announcement, players across Terra exploded into action, scrambling to grind contribution points.
Professional team managers were even more direct:
"Starting today, suspend some of the training. Everyone focus on farming contribution points. Get that crystal as fast as possible. If we're the first to clear it, there's prize money on the line!"
The scent of opportunity filled the air. This was the perfect chance to thrust their teams into the spotlight.
Coaches could only sigh—orders were orders. The summer season still needed preparation, but when the bosses spoke, they had no choice but to obey.
Tomorrow's Development never failed to shake things up. For the future of pro teams, these events were proving invaluable. That much, every coach agreed on.