Alice and Ethan walked into the building where they were scheduled to meet with Murim, Illvaria’s sixth Immortal. As she stepped into the building, Alice couldn’t help but feel both apprehensive and surprised.

When Alice had heard that she was about to meet with another of Illvaria’s Immortals, she had expected that she might meet with him at a fancy dinner or a [Noble] tea party. She wouldn’t have found it odd if she needed to put on her fancy dress again, instead of being able to wear her comfortable everyday clothes. Alice had pictured a meeting similar to the one with Myra, Ethan’s mother.

This idea clashed violently with the building Alice now found herself in.

The place they were meeting Murim was clearly a pub. It smelled strongly of alcohol, and while there were a few [Waiters] and [Waitresses] puttering about, half of the people were lined up at the bar and ordering drinks. Furthermore, the few [Waiters] and [Waitresses] in the bar weren’t particularly attractive, despite the fact that their Class should emphasize [Charisma]. Alice checked the level of the servers, and confirmed that most of them were low to mid level – there wasn’t a single [Waiter] or [Waitress] above level 40 in the entire building.

The building was also poorly lit and had few decorations. The walls were a rather unappealing piss-yellow color, and on one side of the room Alice could see a group of people cheering as they hurled darts at a dartboard, adding to the noise and clutter of the room. The only real compliment Alice had for the establishment was that, despite the smell and sound, all of the seats looked clean. Though that was probably due to a cleaning Perk, rather than any real diligence on the part of the business owner or staff.

After entering the building, Ethan raised a wooden token high enough for the [Bartender] behind the counter to see it. The [Bartender] nodded, and gestured towards a staircase leading to the second floor. Ethan and Alice ascended the staircase in silence, before they found the right room and entered.

Alice carefully inspected her seat and the table before she sat down, just to make sure she wasn’t about to sit on anything gross. Luckily, whatever cleaning Perk was at work keeping the rest of the building clean had kept the chair spotless.

“Is this really the meeting place where we’re supposed to meet Murim?” asked Alice, after she reluctantly sat down. Even though Ethan had said that Murim disliked formality, this was still somewhat outside of Alice’s expectations.

Ethan sighed, and then nodded. “Almost certainly. The [Waitresses] match Murim’s preferences quite well…”

Alice blinked.

The [Waitresses]?

Alice pondered that word for almost a full minute as thoughts swirled around her head. She looked at Ethan in confusion.

“Slightly over thirty and kind of sallow-faced,” said Ethan, shrugging. Alice’s confusion only deepened. She wasn’t sure why Ethan had mentioned the [Waitresses] to begin with.

“Well, when your [Charisma] increases, you become more conventionally attractive, but a lot of the direction your body and facial features go is based on your own desires. So it’s not exactly a 100% thing, even though some facial features are considered pretty universally attractive. You know, symmetry, the golden ratio, things like that.” Ethan shrugged. “Every time Murim returns from the wilderness, it has usually been at least a decade or two since his last return to civilization. Sometimes he goes five or six decades without seeing another human being. So when he returns, he usually spends a few months cutting loose and partying. Murim is a very attractive, famous person who, at least in theory, has a high status in Society. He has a pretty easy time finding… erm… female friends to spend a few weeks with.” Alice felt her cheeks warm she realized what Ethan meant.

“I don’t know if it’s really the perfect way to handle the stress of being in the wilderness for months on end,” said Ethan thoughtfully. “But everyone’s life is their own to live. And he does genuinely seem to love his lifestyle, even if I find it baffling. I don’t think I’d be able to handle the loneliness. To each their own, I guess.” Alice felt a bit surprised to hear Ethan reveal that he would be so impacted by spending decades away from civilization. But then, her thoughts returned to the absurdity of Ethan’s earlier statements.

“Are the [Waitresses] the only criteria for a meeting spot?” asked Alice incredulously.

“No.” Ethan sighed. “Murim is also a massive alcoholic, and unlike most Immortals, he isn’t quite as conventionally wealthy as most of us. After all, most of his activities are conducted outside of civilization. Since most people die horrifically if they go too far south, and that’s where Murim’s exploration usually takes place, he doesn’t really have anything to sell. Even his maps aren’t really that sought after, people would just die of mana poisoning if they tried to follow them. Since he’s not that wealthy, he probably chose this place because it sells large quantities of cheap liquor. And with the [Endurance] of an Immortal who has a survival-oriented class, he certainly needs a lot of alcohol if he wants to get drunk.”

Alice felt an oncoming headache, before she pushed it down. How Murim lived his life had nothing to do with her, as long as he wasn’t hurting anyone else in the process. Though Alice did wonder how in the world she was supposed to approach this meeting now.

The two sat in silence as Alice got lost in her thoughts. Minutes ticked by.

The agreed upon meeting time came and went.

About ten minutes after the meeting was supposed to start, there was still no sign of the other Immortal.

Alice started to feel worried.

Had something happened to the other Immortal? Why wasn’t he here yet? Had something gone horribly wrong with the class seeds in his body, causing him to lose control of himself? Alice hadn’t seen any similar signs in Ethan, but just because Ethan was avoiding most of the fallout from the System so far didn’t mean every other Immortal was. Alice had just assumed that they would be more resistant to the collapse of the System… but there were still plenty of things she didn’t know about the System. Maybe she had missed something.

Or maybe the Society had attacked him? Or the Sigmusi? Alice vividly recalled that a Sigmusi Immortal had managed to nearly assassinate her just over a week ago. Now that the humans across the world were weakened and in danger, it would be the perfect opportunity for someone to take advantage of the chaos. Alice could definitely imagine the Sigmusi trying to find a way to weaken their neighbors while everyone was trying to handle the fallout from current events. It might be stupidly dangerous to make things worse while the System was collapsing, but that didn’t mean nobody would do it. Taking advantage of chaos to kill one of Illvaria’s Immortals would certainly make things easier for the Sigmusi in the future… if there was a future at all.

Alice felt the anxiety start to build up, and she absently touched a few of the enchanted bracelets she had fastened to her wrist. Should they go out and look for him?

Just as Alice was entertaining thoughts about what would happen if they really fought against a hostile [Assassin] in the heart of Metsel, the door opened with a loud crash. Alice felt a wave of mixed relief and irritation crash over her as she looked at the man who had entered the room.

The man, much like other Immortals, was made of a cloud of mana. He looked to be slightly lower level than Ethan. He was on the shorter side, and stood at perhaps 160 centimeters tall. He had dark black hair that looked almost like ink. His muscles were very solidly defined, making him look like a lumberjack, and every single step he took carried the [Dexterity] and grace of someone who had stats well beyond a normal human’s. Alice also noticed that the man was stunningly handsome. It was nowhere near Allira’s obnoxious levels of beauty, but the man had clearly invested some time and energy into his appearance. He had an easy, confident smile to go along with it.

And that exceptional charm and grace was completely undermined by the horrid reek of alcohol clinging to every single orifice of the man’s body. It was so bad that it overshadowed the smell of alcohol emitted by the rest of the building. There were dark bags under the man’s eyes that spoke of exhaustion, and Alice was pretty sure there was a very, very small smear of lipstick just below the man’s chin.

At the very least Alice was now sure that the man hadn’t been attacked in the middle of the capital. The stubborn little lipstick smear just below his chin definitely hadn’t come from a fight.

As if he didn’t notice the reek of booze clinging to him, he gave Ethan a wide grin when he saw him.

“Ethan! It’s been a long time! How have you been?” asked the man, raising a hand in greeting.

“Murim. I’ve been doing well. Just raising my newest apprentice, mostly,” said Ethan. “It has been… a trying time recently. How about you? How have your travels gone?” Ethan acted as if there was nothing unusual about the man’s appearance or entrance at all. Despite some hesitation, Alice decided to act the same way.

“Tell me about it,” said Murim, grimacing. “My last exploration turned into a total mess. Things are getting very weird recently.”

A moment later, Alice awkwardly gestured towards Murim’s neck. The smear of lipstick was very distracting.

“Oh, did I miss a spot?” asked Murim, before wiping at his neck with the hem of his sleeve. The stubborn lipstick smear finally disappeared. “Thanks.”

 “So you found another one?” asked Ethan, after a few moments.

Murim nodded. “Yeah. She seemed nice, and we ended up getting along well. When I leave, would you mind keeping an eye on her for a bit? I don’t want any trouble to come her way as a result of associating with me.”

 “I’ll handle it,” said Ethan, as if this was routine for him. Based on what Ethan had mentioned earlier, maybe it was routine for him.

“How long were you originally planning on staying in Metsel?” asked Ethan.

“Well, that’s… a good question, honestly,” said Murim. “Normally, I hang out for a month or two, relax, and then leave once I’ve had some time to cool off. But this time, I kind of want to stay out of the mana wastes until things calm down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, things got…. Very weird down there. So… I guess I’ll have to stick around a little longer than usual?” said Murim. “How about you? Speaking of finding ‘another one,’ I see that you’ve picked up yet another apprentice.

Ethan nodded. “To be honest, over the centuries I’ve found that I quite enjoy teaching. Not enough to handle the classroom sizes that most proper [Teachers] deal with in magic academies, but helping people reach their full potential is enjoyable. Of course, I don’t think I could devote all of my time and energy to it – seeing one wave of [Students] after another die of old age might break me.”

Murim guffawed. “That’s where all the rest of you are wrong. Your father kind of gets it, but you and your mother never did. People die sometimes. Someone dying of old age should mean that you treasure what time you have with them more. You shouldn’t fear connecting with people just because they might die.”

Ethan shook his head. “I just can’t stand it. It’s too painful.” His voice carried the stubbornness of a set of wheels, cycling through the same, well-worn rut for the hundredth time.

Murim rolled his eyes. “With that attitude, maybe in a few centuries you’ll be like Doll and never leave your house. I really feel that you’d be happier if you just appreciated the now more. I mean, heck, when I find a new girl, I make it clear that I’m going to leave in a few weeks. That doesn’t diminish the time we spend together. We have a beautiful few weeks of joy… And then we go our separate ways. I never forget any of the ones I’ve loved, even if I leave afterwards. If I was as afraid of connecting with people as you, Doll, and your mother are, I would never have any beautiful memories to live with.” Murim shook his head, before he sighed and looked at Alice.

“Before we go any further, I have to ask, is this meeting for business or just to talk?” asked Murim. “Not that I don’t appreciate the occasional conversation, and I also enjoy debating philosophy with you. But you don’t usually bring your apprentices along if it’s just for a casual chat and a few drinks.”

“Sadly, we have business to attend to, instead of just getting a few drinks and relaxing,” said Ethan, after a few moments. “First of all, let me introduce you to my newest apprentice. Her name is Alice, and she’s currently sixteen.”

“Nice to meet you, Alice,” said Murim, giving Alice a nod. “I haven’t seen any of Ethan’s apprentices be so young in quite a while. Are you biologically sixteen, or chronologically sixteen?”

“Both,” said Alice. “I didn’t really level up very much before I became a Mage, but after I survived my baptism, my levelling speed skyrocketed.”

“A magic enthusiast, then?” asked Murim. “Well, it’s risky to undergo a baptism, but it seems to have worked out for you. As long as you can stand by your own decisions, then regardless of whether you live or die, you’ve lived a worthy life. Isn’t that right? I’ve always admired the determination of people who undergo mana baptisms, even if it seems batshit insane.”

Alice decided not to reveal the fact that she had underwent a mana baptism entirely by accident. Now that Murim had put mana baptisms in such a positive light, Alice felt awkward bringing the subject up.

“More importantly, she’s also someone who has researched the current crisis in great detail.”

“Is that so?” asked Murim. “What exactly is going on? I’ve seen how messed up the mana wastes have become, and I’ve also heard that a few people have lost their minds recently…” Alice almost asked how ‘messed up’ the mana wastes had gotten, but decided to hold off on questioning Murim until later.

“If you went to any Church of the System, you could get a full, detailed report of the most recent events concerning the System,” said Ethan.

Murim shrugged. “I ain’t religious. The System exists, but the only god I worship is the green woods and the night sky. Why would I go to a church?”

“Fair,” said Ethan, after a moment. “Well, in any case, the current crisis is… complex. My apprentice can give you a rundown of the current crisis in more detail than I could. Alice?”

Alice cleared her throat, and then started introducing Murim to the collapse of the System. Since he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would appreciate a long, detailed list of theories, Alice did her best to shorten the crisis down to a quick and dirty explanation.

Finally, after Alice’s explanation, Murim rubbed his temples.

“So if I’m getting this right… you’re basically saying that the System is a giant enchantment. Now that it broke, everyone is fucked. Is that right?”

“Essentially,” said Alice, after some thought.

“I knew there was something funny about worshipping the System as a god,” said Murim. “Back when she was alive, my ma always said I was a smarter cookie than I seemed to be.” Murim grinned. “Glad to see that I can prove her right today.” Then, Murim frowned. “But I don’t see how this related to me. I don’t have a magic seed, and at this point, I’m an Immortal. I have an Achievement that makes me totally immune to mana poisoning, so I have no way to force a mana baptism. Even if I did, I’m not really willing to undergo one, since that could end pretty damn poorly for me. I’ve never really relished the thought of screwing around with magic seeds either. I don’t mind helping out if I can, since it sounds like this crisis hurts everyone. Heck, it sounds like that might be the reason the mana wastes are so messed up now. But… I don’t really see how any of this relates to me.”

“Well, it’s like this,” said Ethan. “Alice has a few theories about where the System might be. That is to say, a central mainframe of the System.”

“Ah.” Murim seemed to understand where the conversation was going now. “So you’re saying that there is a physical location where the System might be, and you want me to locate it?”

Alice nodded. “If it’s possible for you to find it, that would be really useful. I might be able to fix this mess if I have access to the mainframe of the System. That being said, I don’t know how dangerous it would be for you, so feel free to reject my request if it’s impossible.”

“Where are the potential locations of the System?”

“Either the Sigmusi Colonia, underwater, or the western continent. No matter what location it’s in, it should be northwest of Illvaria. But I don’t know how far to the northwest it is.”

Murim burst out laughing. “You don’t pick easy targets do you?” He shook his head, as if he found the entire situation hilarious. “You know what, I’m up for a challenge.” His grin grew wider and wider, until it looked almost inhuman how far his lips stretched. “If it’s the western continent, then there’s no way I can explore it. That area is too dangerous for me. But I can at least investigate the northwest a bit, and tell you what I find. How about you tell me everything you know, and I’ll see what I can do? No promises, but I can investigate and see how things go. I’m confident in my ability to sneak around the Sigmusi Colonia for a month or two and get away undetected.”

Alice and Murim conversed for nearly an hour afterwards, with Alice giving Murim every scrap of information she could about the System’s mainframe and potential locations.

Afterwards, Ethan and Murim discussed payment, and a deal was struck.

Alice now had someone looking for the mainframe of the System for her.