The girl finally reached them, stopping right in front of Aryan. She ignored the two frozen statues next to him and locked her eyes onto Aryan, her expression soft and full of gratitude.
"I finally found you!" she said, catching her breath. She took a step closer, bowing slightly. "I just wanted to come here and say thank you so much for the help in the dungeon. Seriously... if you had not stood in front of me and used your skills to protect me from that horde while you were already hurt, I probably would have died down there. You risked everything to keep me safe. Thank you so much, Aryan."
Aryan, totally caught off guard by the sudden blast of gratitude in front of his friends, felt his cheeks warm up a bit. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to maintain his cool, nonchalant main character persona, though his voice came out a bit softer than usual.
"Uh... yeah. It is cool. Welcome," Aryan said, nodding slightly. "Just doing what anyone would do."
The girl giggled, a bright, cheerful sound that made Ayush and Vikas collectively wither in jealousy. She took a step back, waving her hand.
"I have to go meet up with a registration group now, but I just really needed to find you first to say that. Thanks again!" she called out, throwing one last dazzling smile over her shoulder before turning around and running back down the path, her hair fluttering in the wind.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush a mountain.
Aryan turned around to look at his friends. Ayush and Vikas were standing there, looking like they had just witnessed a glitch in reality. Their faces were a mix of utter disbelief, betrayal, and absolute shock.
"Yo... who exactly was that?!" Vikas yelled, pointing a dramatic finger down the path. "Where did you find her?! Why is she thanking you like you are some legendary hero?! Explain right now, Aryan!"
Aryan let out a small, smug chuckle, finally tasting victory. He casually leaned back and told them the entire, unfiltered story—how he went to the dungeon, got absolutely betrayed by his party, took a heavy blow to the head, dumped all his stats into defense, and cleared a monster wave with dark magic while holding the line to protect her until a high-level squad arrived to help them out.
Ayush listened, his shocked expression slowly melting into his usual teasing, arrogant grin. He walked over and slung a heavy arm around Aryan's shoulder, shaking him slightly.
"Wow, man!" Ayush laughed loudly. "You really got absolutely destroyed by some low-tier dungeon monsters? You got beaten completely! Imagine getting knocked out by a wooden club while using dark magic. That is a massive failure, bro!"
Aryan shoved Ayush's arm off, annoyed. "Bro, I survived a betrayal and a horde. My defense stat is incredible now. Shut up."
Vikas sighed, shaking his head, though a grin was back on his face. "Honestly, though, that is wild. But hey, since nobody actually got a girlfriend—she just thanked you and left—the bet is officially a draw. My 1,000 coins are safe."
Ayush stretched his arms behind his head, looking out over the horizon toward the massive, sprawling mountain ranges in the distance. The initial city was cool, but the world was massive, and staying in one place was starting to feel a bit stale.
"Forget about that," Ayush said, his tone turning adventurous. "What are we even doing lingering around this starter town anyway? What do you guys think about going somewhere far away to explore? Like, let's pack up and head to a completely different city, see some high-level regions, and actually experience this world properly. Are you down?"
Aryan's eyes lit up. The classic fantasy journey was finally moving to the next map. "Yeah, facts. This starter area is getting boring anyway. Let's get out of here and see what else this world has."
Vikas pumped his fist. "Yeah, that is what I am talking about! Let's travel outside! A whole new city means new restaurants, new guilds, and definitely better food."
Aryan suddenly paused, his stomach letting out a loud, aggressive growl that ruined his cool aesthetic. He remembered his empty inventory and his depleted funds from the previous day's dungeon disaster. He turned to Ayush and Vikas, putting on his most shameless face.
"Uh... yeah, we can definitely go outside," Aryan said, coughing into his hand. "But listen... buy me some food first, you guys. I literally have zero coins right now. My pockets are completely empty after yesterday."
Ayush busted out laughing, slapping Aryan on the back hard enough to make him wince.
"You tried to act like a high-level main character and now you do not even have money for food?" Ayush mocked, but he already had his pouch out. "All right, stop complaining. I will buy you something good. Let's go get some food, and then we leave this place for good!"
With the bet settled, their pockets empty but their spirits high, the trio started walking back down the hill together, laughing, arguing, and ready to take on the next major chapter of their new life.