Chapter 1: Return to Helliopolis (Hell Village)
Location: Hell Village (Helliopolis) – Central Fountain Square
POV: Zaphro
A single notification blinked on my virtual screen.
1 message from Andromeda
I tapped the "Open" button.
"We have located the village. We just got back after an hour of restriction. Did your party got caught up outside safe zones? That was crazy, barrier was erected around the safe zones. No one was able to venture out. Damn surprise update! TP now."
That was all it said.
"Who's that from?" Erenir asked, glancing over.
"It's Andromeda. They found the village. I'll teleport there and party-Teleport you after."
I tapped Andromeda's name from the chat panel and triggered the teleport function.
In less than five seconds, the world shimmered and twisted around me—and I materialized in the middle of a new, eerie village beside Andromeda and her crew.
I opened party chat.
"I'm here. TP to me."
Accel was there with me too. He might have TP to a friend that is already here.
"Brother!" Accel called out to someone as he ran toward him, looking relieved. Beside him was an elf-type player whose features I immediately recognized.
"Je-Jenson?" I blinked.
"Zeke? Dude, damn, I almost didn't recognize you." The elf with the IGN Xavier grinned.
Jenson. Dan's cousin. That would mean…
"So you're Accel's older brother," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Nice pointy ears, by the way."
"Shut up," Xavier snorted. "You haven't changed one bit."
"What happened by the way? I got so worried for Accel."
"Anyway, Jenson, it wasn't pretty. Half of us got wiped out by a boss. Dan included… but we managed to bring it down. That's all we can tell you." I looked at Accel in the eye, and he nodded to agree with it.
Xavier frowned. "That's horrible. But at least you survived."
"They should be here any moment now," I added.
"That's great," Xavier said, walking over to an NPC merchant. "We need to talk. All of us."
Moments later, the rest of our squad apparated one after the other into the village.
Hell Village—Helliopolis—lived up to its name. The architecture screamed infernal theme. Red-and-orange flames flickered from every torch. NPCs wore battle-worn gear, horns, and masks, blending in with the demonic aesthetic. In the center, a massive fountain spewed glowing red water that doubled as a restoration point and respawn hub.
"Creepy, but kind of cool," Verillion muttered.
"I've slept in worse-looking places," Gwydox grumbled, arms crossed. "This whole town smells like burned goat's ass."
"No surprise you'd recognize that scent," Jin muttered with a smirk.
"Keep yappin', pretty boy. I'll turn you into a roast."
Before the bickering escalated, Andromeda stepped forward. "We're logging out. Real-world stuff, plus I need to see the GM's announcement for this sudden merge of realms and the releasing of the third realm."
"Aww, really?" Aryus sounded genuinely disappointed. "We were hoping to explore the new map together."
"Sorry," said Kris_Hunter. "We all go to the same school, and we have some offline matters to deal with too."
Andromeda, Gregory, Jinx, and Kris_Hunter waved goodbye, and their avatars shimmered away.
"Weird bunch," Jin commented.
"You said it," Xavier agreed. "I've had a weird feeling about them all day. If it weren't for Accel, I wouldn't have logged in."
"By the way," Slicer piped up. "Where do you all live outside the game? We should hang out sometime. I badly need a rest, things had been crazy!" and he looked at us after saying it.
"I'm from Sierra Area, District 5. Third-year at SPC," said Ayana.
"I'm in Ronova Area, District 45. Also in SPC. Scholarship student—new transfer," Shion added.
"Nexus District 10 for me. I run a bar-restaurant there. It's mine," Aryus said with a proud grin.
Turns out, Erik, Erenir, and Jin all worked part-time at Aryus' place in Nexus. Who would've thought my bro Aryus was a low-key boss?
I messaged everyone on my friends list, letting them know we'd found the village. No harm in making Hell Village the next hotspot.
"Oh, Slicer, by the way—this is for you." I opened my inventory and pulled out a glowing scroll.
"Huh?" He took it cautiously. "What's this?"
"A unique skill scroll. You deserve it. You risked your life earlier to save mine."
"Pfft, that?" he scoffed and patted my shoulder. "If you died, we were screwed. You're our ace, man."
I laughed. "Still, thanks."
"I also picked up a few Baal rings and necklaces. Aryus, Jin, Erik, and Erenir—four pieces each. They'll boost your stats." I sent the items over.
"Sweet," said Jin, inspecting the gear.
"I'll take the silver spirit egg," Verillion called out. "Looks interesting."
"No problem. Ayana, take the molten egg. Erenir, you get the sand egg."
"Nice," Ayana said, already equipping it.
"I'll take the sword," said Shion, eyeing the blade in my hand.
"Good choice." I traded it to him.
"We got 22M each from the gold drops. Zaphro, take the Baal Set and Wings," Verillion added.
"You sure?"
Everyone nodded.
"I wanna see those Baal Wings," Xavier said, intrigued.
I pulled them out of my inventory and showed them off.
"Want 'em?" I asked. "Make me an offer."
"Uh… 80M? I kinda blew the rest upgrading my armor," he said sheepishly.
"Deal. You're a friend, so I'll let it go cheap." I traded it to him.
"Thanks, man."
"No worries."
We sat around the fountain for a while, talking and laughing. We filled them in on our encounter except for the Executioner, the Prophet, the Vault… all of it. We needed this downtime after all the chaos.
A few other players started arriving at the village, mostly familiar names from my buddy list or former FCs.
"Zaphro, idol!"
Ah, and speaking of FCs…
Kobi23 came running toward me, waving. He was a rogue-type human player, twin daggers sheathed at his sides. His armor glowed faintly—enchanted and upgraded, no doubt—and his cloak gave off a mysterious illusionary effect.
"Hey, Kobi," I greeted.
"Heh… looks like getting here wasn't easy, huh?" he said.
"We actually got lost," Jin admitted. "Didn't find the village ourselves."
"Really? Who found it?"
"Rank 1 and 2 players," I said. "They were here first but logged out."
Kobi's face darkened.
"Tsk. Them again," he muttered under his breath. "I don't like those guys."
"Oh?" Ayana tilted her head. "Why not?"
"That info isn't free," Kobi replied, smirking.
"Info breaker," Shion whispered.
"Shush," Kobi said. "Let's just say they've been stirring stuff up since beta. Trust me… if they're here, something bigger's coming."
That caught my attention. Kobi might be a loudmouth, but he always had one foot in the underworld of game info and black market trades. If he was wary of the top rankers… there might be something worth checking into.
Gwydox snorted and leaned against the fountain wall. "Y'all too trusting. Rank 1 or not, if I see anyone screwing around, I'll carve their faces off and feed it to the fire wolves."
"Gross," Erik said with a shudder.
"What? I'm just sayin'. I ain't lettin' some data ghost screw this place again."
"Data what?" Kobi ask after Gwydox slipped some confidential information.
"Nothing! Don't mind him Kobi.. Gwydox was just joking." I deflected.
Though I don't think he fully believes me.
"You say that, but you scream louder than anyone when we get ambushed," Aryus teased.
"Say that again, featherhead, and I'll—"
"Guys," I said, laughing. "Relax. We're back. We're alive. Let's not ruin the moment."
There was silence for a second. Then, laughter all around.
Hell Village might look like a cursed inferno, but right now… it felt like home.