But Ethan Grant is only level 2 and can only use basic attacks for now. All the monsters in this area are level 5, which is a 3-level gap from him—one careless move and he’ll be done for.

Chris Foster selected a monster but didn’t attack right away. He kited it around, glanced over in his direction, and his gaze paused.

Switching from keyboard to holographic controls breaks old habits and perspectives, so it’s natural to feel uncomfortable at first.

This Sealer was no exception, but he still managed to avoid getting hit by the monster at all, dodging and adjusting his position as he went. In a short time, he quickly adapted to the new mode, switched from defense to offense, and killed the monster with basic attacks—without losing a single bit of HP.

His movement was so smooth and stylish—it was obvious he was a high-level player.

He couldn’t help but overturn his previous judgment. Was this really not a staff member, but an actual player?

After finishing off a monster, Ethan Grant glanced at him too. Seeing that both he and the monster were at full health, he assumed the other hadn’t adjusted yet and went back to fighting his own monsters.

Two minutes later, Ethan Grant leveled up to 5 and finally got his first skill. Chris Foster, who had been slacking off, only killed two monsters, but with the experience he got from Ethan Grant, he reached level 6.

Ethan Grant said, “So weak.”

Chris Foster smiled and explained, “I was busy just now. Let’s change locations—farming level 5 monsters is boring.”

The two of them headed to the lakeside to fight higher-level monsters.

This time, Chris Foster got a bit more serious. With two top players teaming up to farm monsters, their experience soared.

When the two players in the lake climbed ashore, this was the scene they saw.

Their judgment was limited, but they weren’t blind. They whispered to each other, guessing that these two might be pro players.

Ethan Grant and Chris Foster noticed them as well.

At this time, it was rare to see other players in the field, so both of them stopped.

Chris Foster saw that they were level 16 and spoke first: “Did you two just start playing recently?”

One was a Warlord, the other a Swordsman.

The former replied, “We’ve been here for several days, just fighting the monsters in the water. It’s a bit slow.”

As soon as he said this, Ethan Grant and Chris Foster understood.

The new season of Dream Tour is still in keyboard mode. There’s no news yet about switching to holographic, but it’s bound to happen eventually. Water combat is already hard, so these two must be practicing in advance.

Most likely, they’re new recruits from the training camp.

Chris Foster smiled and said, “Oh.”

The Warlord asked, “Which club are you two from?”

Ethan Grant said, “I’m not from any club, just a regular player.”

Chris Foster said, “Me neither.”

Clearly, they didn’t want to say. The Warlord gave an awkward laugh and didn’t press further.

The Swordsman said, “We’re heading to the Spider Cave. Want to come?”

Ethan Grant had never heard of the Spider Cave and stayed silent.

Chris Foster, on the other hand, was interested.

He and the Sealer were already level 10. The Spider Cave is a level 15, five-person mini-dungeon—a 5-level gap, which is just at the limit for getting bonus experience. These two are from the training camp, so their fundamentals are solid. They could easily carry them, saving time and effort.

He looked at his teammate. “Let’s go.”

Ethan Grant nodded and joined the new party with him.

The other two walked up to them and habitually checked their IDs.

One was called “Ah,” and the other was “{xu-5cc靉の!”

The two newbies, who had never encountered Martian script before, were instantly stunned and had no idea what to call them.

The Warlord asked, “You… what does your ID mean?”

{姜辰}, having calmed down after fighting monsters, replied casually, “It means ‘love’s five.’”

The Swordsman: “……”

Chris Foster: “……”

The Warlord, being straightforward, counted on his fingers and thought he was being messed with. He said, “The number of characters doesn’t match!”

Ethan Grant said, “The pain and uselessness of love.”

The Warlord said, “Still doesn’t match.”

Captain Jiang was out of patience: “Believe it or not.”

They chatted as they walked, circling the small lake and heading up the mountain.

When they reached halfway up, just as they were about to turn a corner on the mountain path, the Swordsman suddenly wobbled, lost his balance, and fell straight down, dying on impact.

The three above were stunned for a moment and all leaned over to look down.

The Warlord asked, “What happened, did you disconnect?”

A few seconds later, the Swordsman respawned in place, his voice shaky and weak: “I… I’m afraid of heights…”

The three above: “……”

The holographic mode is pretty close to reality—except you don’t feel tired, it’s basically like climbing a real mountain. That’s rough.

The Swordsman was in bad shape and said he needed a break, then logged off and disappeared.

The three above: “……”

Fell before even starting the mission.

They hadn’t even reached the dungeon entrance and already lost a carry.

Fortunately, there was still a Warlord to tank the monsters.

They continued upward and successfully reached the dungeon.

The Spider Cave was at the mountain top, and the monsters were bats the size of washbasins.

The Warlord mowed down everything in his path, leading his two teammates to the boss’s lair.

Ethan Grant took a look around.

It was a five-meter-wide cave, and the boss wasn’t visible yet.

Just as this thought flashed by, a shadow fell from above—a giant spider dropped down.

Before, playing behind a screen, even if you were afraid in real life, fighting it was no problem at all.