"What?! Third place?!" Risa exclaimed in shock. "For real?!"

The group of friends walked through the same street to their school.

"Yeah, even I'm surprised." Kaede responded while turning to her stunned friend.

"Yeah, it was pretty surprising." Clay admits, while rubbing the back of his head. Suddenly Dave pats his back with a smirk.

"Come on, all three of us knew that we were going to get top three." Dave said as he removes his hand from Clay's hand.

"But I would've hoped it was first." He admits with a sigh.

"Hey." Risa place wrapped her arm around the brunet. "It's fine. I'm sure, next time you'll get first place." Dave smiled at that, before wrapping his arm back.

"Hold on." The brunette turns to her friends. "What level are you guys at?"

"20." Kaede, and Clay replied.

"22."

The group turned to Dave.

"What?" He asked, noticing his fellow gamers' stares.

"You were at level 20 when we left the game last night." The dirty blond teen reminded the brunet, who chuckles at what the blond said.

"I might've woken up early, and did some grinding."

This cause Risa to lightly bonk his head. "Don't do that, you dummy, you need your sleep. And don't think I don't know about your sleep schedule." She said to her friend, who chuckles in response, not really taking what she said seriously. "Seriously, I'm fine, I'm pretty used to this."

"You sure?"

"Pretty sure."

"Oh all right."

The brunette turns to her other friends. "Okay, how did you guys even get that to third place?" She asked, before shaking her head. "Stupid question. But what are you guys' character's attributes like?"

"I'm a a large shield wielder, that specialising in defense."

"I'm a sword wielder, that is specialising in a balanced state."

"I'm a two-handed axe wielder, I don't specialise in anything, I went for mostly balanced stats, but dexterity is my best stat for now. Plus I have a shield."

Risa stop to look at Clay, who just stares at his friend, confused at her stares. "What?"

"Why are you investing that much in the specific skill?" Risa asked, a little confused on what the blond said. To which he shrugs. "I dunno. Seems like a good one to try to invest in."

Risa nodded, but one thing bugged her in the back of her mind, so she voiced it out. "How did Kaede even get that far? I understand Clay, and Dave. But Kaede? I really don't get, how did you do it?" Risa leans to Kaede, who smiles.

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Okay, here's what I did."

"What...?"

The group were now in class, and were in the same position as they were before.

"What's with that monster character...?" Risa asked in shocked, before crossing her arms. "As expected of you, that sounds like a really airheaded thing to do."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah!"

"Honestly, should've seen it coming." Clay admitted with a smile.

"Meh." Dave shrugged at what he said.

"Seems like I'll have a hard time catching up with the three of you." The brunette stated as she stares up at the ceiling.

"But if you do what I did..." Kaede started, but Risa cut her off.

"No way." She stretches her arms a bit. "You are you. I am me." She said with a smile.

"Then what will you do?" The black haired girl asked the brown haired girl, who puts a finger on her chin, and hums in thought.

"If you're a wall, maybe I should be a mage that uses long-distance attacks..." She shakes her head dismissing the idea right away. "But that's too normal for a party that I'm forming with you three."

She closed her eyes in thought for a few solid seconds as her friends stared at her. Waiting for her decision.

Suddenly her eyes opened. "Okay, I've decided!" She stated, eyes filled with determination. She continues as she gets up from her seat. "I'll be an evasive shield!"

"A... what?" Clay said, as he was not expecting that kind of answer, but sighed. Honestly, he shouldn't be surprise though, seeing that how unique it sounded. Nevertheless it did sound unique.

"Evasive... Shield?"

"Yeah!" Risa placed her hands on her black haired friend's table. "I'll draw attacks to me, and evade to nullify the attacks."

"That's cool!"

"Isn't that what I was doing?" Dave asked in his normal bored tone.

Risa turned to him, with a smile. "Not exactly."

"Wait, but I'm a shield wielder too, and Clay is also kinda a shield wielder." Kaede pointed out, before continuing poking holes in Risa's plan. "Isn't it kinda weird for three shields wielder to get together?"

To her credit. The brunette didn't seem to falter one bit, but continued onto what was great about her plan. She goes away from the black haired girl's table. "No matter what kind of battle our party engages in, we'll certainly receive little to no damage! We'll almost always be unscathed!"

"How about it?" She turns to her friends with a smirk. "Don't you three think that'd be cool?"

Kaede stares at her for a moment, before thinking on what she told them. "I love it! It sounds great!" She stated with clearful excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, that's sounds great."

"Of course, you both would say that." Dave remarked, but nodded. "But I guess it would neat."

"I want to form a party with that concept, so I'll aim to be an evasive shield!"

"I'll raise my defense even more!"

"And we'll just tag along, and fight along side you girls." Clay added with a smile.

"Oh, but don't focus too much on your defense, Kaede." Risa stated as she walks over to Kaede. She sat on her female friend's table. "If you lose, it'll all come down to nothing. If the circumstances are dire, you can also intentionally let go of your shield to stay alive." The brunette advised the girl, who nods with a smile.

"Okay! Got it!" Kaede said, before realising one thing. "But did your mother give you permission to start gaming again?"

"Oh yeah, that kinda is a big deal." Clay adds with a nod, and a smile. "Good thing you asked." To which Kaede responds with a smile, and a small blush.

"Thanks!"

"But, seriously did she?" Dave asked. To her response, she held up two peace signs, signalling yes, she was allowed to play games again.

"Yay! From today, we'll all be able to play together!"

"That's awesone!"

"That's great."

Risa, who had the same looking Beginner's outfit as Maple's except for being blue, and white, materialised into existence in town square with Maple, Dream, and Technoblade, who were all in their Beginner's clothing, as to not draw attention. It took awhile of convincing Techno to drop his royal clothing for his Beginner's one, since they didn't want draw attention to theirselves, when it's Risa's first time being here. Except for Techno's hair stayed pink, so they just used a rag to cover it up, but you can still see a bit of his pink hair.

"Oh! So this us what it's like!" Risa exclaimed as she looks around the place in awe.

"It's amazing, right?" Maple said to her friend with a smile. "I was surprised, when I came here for the first time too."

"And it won't be the last." Dream said as he walks over to her friends.

"Yup, it probably won't."

Risa turned to talk to her friends, but was surpised as she saw Techno's pink hair. "Hey Clay, aaand... Dave?"

Her confusion was met with a nod. "Yes it's me Dave." Technoblade confirmed.

"Dave... You have pink hair?"

"Yeah, just laugh it off."

"No, no, no." Risa waved her hands. "It's not that! It was just, that look kinda suits you." She admits with a smile.

Technoblade just nods at her reasoning. "Not like I'd believe you, but sure."

After that was over, she turned to Maple. "So, you were shocked as well, Kaede?"

Before could the black haired girl could respond. Risa realised her mistake. "Oops!" She covered her mouth, before looking around for something.

"Huh?" Maple stared at her friend's weird behavior. "A monster?!"

The brunette turns to her friend with a smile. "That's not it. It's bad to call someone their real name. Someone might try to find you in real life, based on your name." Risa explained as Maple stared at her, trying to registering on what she said.

"Ooh! So, that's why Dream says to only call him Clay, when we're alone, or with Techno. And now that you're here, with you!"

"Yeah, that's why." Dream confirmed with a nod.

"Yeah, gotta be safe, and all." Techno nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they're right, so just call me by my name in this game, Sally." Kaede, now Sally, said with a smile.

"Sally, right?" Maple confirmed with her friend, who nods. "Got it!"

"Now, what do I call you?" Sally asked Maple, who looks at her with a warm smile.

"Oh, it's Maple."

"Technoblade, or Techno for short, because people prefer to say that."

"Dream."

"Okay, Maple, Techno, or Technoblade and Dream... Maple, Techno, and Dream, got it!"

Seeing that she now knows the name of her friends. Sally turns infront of them.

"Now, first..."

"Wait! You have a dagger?!"

Sally turns to Technoblade, who had an irritated expression. "I thought, I called dibs on the sword like weapons."

"A dagger isn't some kind of sword, Techno." She told the pink haired girl with a cheeky smirk.

"Aren't they the same? Ugh, I'm not going to argue, so I'll accept this. But remember I will remember this."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say big guy."

"I thought you were gonna be a shield wielder?" Maple asked.

"As I thought more, a dagger would be more useful for me to evade attacks." Sally explained to her confused friend, to which was no longer confused from her explanation.

"Ooh."

"Anyway, where was I?"

"Oh, you're assigning your points to multiple stats."

The group were in a inn, that had bunk beds. The boys were on top, laying down as the girls were at the bottom chatting.

Sally, and Maple were looking at each other's stats.

"This is normal! I mean look at the two above us!"

The two on the top didn't respond, just layed on the top of the beds.

"I just decided not to assign any to VIT, MP, and HP for now." The brunette explains to the black haired girl.

"Why?"

"If I evade, and get no damage, I don't need HP, and Defense. I don't know, if I'll use magic, so a low MP is fine for now. I can compensate with STR, attack strength, with a weapon to an extent. But I want to be fast, so I set my AGI to be relatively high. Think of these two's starting stats. As they explained, they went for a stats, that suits them the most, so I just did the same." Sally explains as Maple stared at her in awe at what she just explained. After she the brunet finished her explanation, they heard a few clapping sounds from above.

"Good job." Dream congrats the girl on her knowledge, and skill.

"Yeah, good job."

"You sure gave that a lot of thought."

"Thanks guys." Suddenly Sally waves her finger at Maple with a smirk. "I think much more than someone, who takes all the hits, and gets no damage."

"Damn! Burned!" Techno called out from above.

"Thanks Techno!" Even after that, she sighed "But I want to hurry, and get some exclusive equipment too." Sally admits. "About your shield, Uhh..."

"Replica Of The Dark Night." Maple said as she summons the black shield.

"Yes, that Replica Of The Dark Night. It swallow all of your opponent's attacks, right? That means you can get skills that require you to receive attacks, right?" Sally asked. To which the black haired girl nods. "Yeah, because of that, I consulted a craftsmab, Izu, about whether she could make me a normal shield. And then..."

"If you bring in some materials for me, it'll cost about a million G." Izu explains as she twirls around her cup as Maple, Dream, and Technoblade were sitting across from her.

"The Replica Of The Dark Night is black, so I want a white shield this time."

"In that case, try going to the underground lake to the south if the city. There are tons of white fish swimming in it, so their scales will be used to make the shield." Izu explains.

"That's what she said."

"I see! Shall we try going to the southern underground lake as well?" Sally asked.

Dream, and Technoblade comes down from topbunks, and down to the floor.

"Seems great, Techno, and I are going there as well. Since Izu said that there was a cave of spiders nearby, we need to get some silk in there." Dream explains as the pink haired teen nodded at that.

"Wait... Silk?"

"Yeah, Techno, and I need them for what we requested from Izu." The dirty blond teen explained to his friend.

The brunette raised a brow at that. "What did you request?" She asked the two.

"A crossbow."

"A fishing rod, and a bow."

"I understand, the crossbow, and bow. But a fishing rod?"

"I need a fishing rod, that I can call my own."

Sally blinked at that. "Ookay?"

"So, wait, you're okay with that?" Maple asked, a bit shocked at friend's non-chalant answer. "Of course!"

Sally walks over to the door. "Oh, but we have to but some fishing rods somewhere first."

"I know a place." Techno said as he walks over to the brunette, who nods.

"Good, come on." She opens the door, and walks out Technoblade behind, while humming a tune.

"Hey, wait, you're both too fast!" Maple called out as she tries to catch up with the two, while Dream slowly walks behind her. Trying to not leave her behind.

"Oops, sorry." The two stopped as Maple tries to get to her friends.

"This was still too fast...?" Sally muttered to herself. She puts a finger on her chin in thought.

"Come on! You guys are so slow! I wanna go stab some spiders!"

"Well, then..."

"You're so fast!"

Sally was sprinting as Maple was piggybacking on her back, the two seem to be having fun as they probably should.

"As expected if AGI of sixty!"

"Don't think you, that we can't catch up!" They turned to the left to see Dream beside them, suddenly Technoblade appeared on the right. "Yeah, even though you have high AGI stats, we also have high AGI stats." The pink haired teen said.

"Remember! You three are to defeat any monsters in our path!"

"Okay!"

"There are three wolves up ahead!" Sally shouted at her friends as the wolves were coming closer in the distance.

"Paralysing Shout!"

A wave of yellow energy erupted, and hitting the wolves.

"I'll take the right!" Dream shouted as he ran ahead.

"I guess, I'll take the left! You both take care of the middle one!" Techno yelled out, or at least in his tone of voice, as he ran to the left.

Dream summoned his axe as Technoblade summons his blade. They quickly slashed their paralysed foes as Maple brings out her shield.

"Foul Feeder!"

The shield absorbs the last remaining wolves as they continued to run.

"I expected no less from the players that clinched third place in an event!"

Sally stopped in a small parkour area, it was a ravine with giant stone pillars as platforms.

"So, wait, do we go through this?" Sally asked her friend, who looks at the parkour. "It seems dangerous."

"It does."

"Outta of the way!"

Dream passes her as he does the parkour easily, barely standing on the platform for nearly a second, before jumping to the next. In under five seconds, he was on the other side.

Without even turning back, he just runs off, leaving the two behind.

The two girls looked in complete shock at the leaving blond for a solid three seconds, before Techno runs up. "So, what's up? I fought an enemy while coming here."

Sally turns to Maple, before sighing. "Let's do this."

The group finally got infront of a cave.

"All right, we this is where we part ways for now." Dream explained as he turns to his friends.

"Aww, really?" Maple asked, not really wanting to split up with her friends.

"Yeah, but I'm sure, well meet each other again." Sally comforted her friend as she walks over to her friend.

"Welp, we'll seeya later." Techno walked away from the group.

Dream turns to his other friends. "I'll see you later."

He starts to walk away.

"Bye Dream!"

"Bye Clay!"

"Seeya."

Dream, and Technoblade, who were both in their normal outfits, were walking towards to a cave, that had webs on entrance of the cave.

Techno stretches his arms. "Ahh... It feels nice to be in my normal clothing."

"Yeah, it does."

"C'mon, we need to go into that cave." Techno said, the two stared at the cave. They walked to the entrance of the cave. It was almost covered in webbing.

"All right, let's do this."

Dream, and Technoblade were killing multiple spiders. After killing the fifth one, they stopped as they had enough. Since unlike Maple's shield, that needed lots of scale to complete, they only needed multiple strings only, instead of a lot.

Dream sat down at the stone ground. "I think that's enough." He said to the pig mask wearing teen, who turns, and nods.

"All right, had enough time stabbing stuff. C'mon, let's go back to the girls." Techno replied as green hooded teen gets up, before nodding, and walking away with the pink haired teen behind him.

Maple, and Sally were fishing near the underground lake, that Izu told Maple. Where that the fishes there could help make her shield.

Suddenly Maple's fishing rod was tugged by a fish in the lake. She notices her rod was getting tugged, and starts to pull the fish out of the water. As it got closer, the black haired girl had a knife, that she uses to lightly stab the fish. Causing it to turn into purple particles, and leaving behind a colorful scale.

Maple quickly catches it. "I finally got my third one..."

After she said that, she heard a splash as she turned to Sally.

"I got another one!" Sally had reeled in, from what she said, she reeled in another fish. She quickly slashes the fish, causing it to leave behind the same colorful scale, that the shield wielder had.

Maple stares at Sally with a sweat drop. "I just got my third one, while you've caught twenty already." She stated.

"That's because your DEX is zero." Sally explains to the shield wielder as she tosses the scale behind to a pile of identical scales, all in the same pile. "I just started, so my level goes up just by finishing off fish that I catch."

"What's your level now?"

"Six." The brunette replied while holding up a five, and a one with both of her hands.

'You have acquired the skill [Fishing].'

"My first skill is fishing?" Sally muttered to herself. "I can't say that you're weird now."

Before Maple could respond, a voice chimed in.

"Well, it would be weird, but that was my first skill."

They turn their heads to see their male friends walking towards them, now back to their Beginner's outfit.

"Took you guys long enough." Sally smirked as the two got to the girls.

"You would not believe on how much convincing I had to do, for Techno to go back to his Beginner's clothing." Dream jabs his thump at the pink haired teen. Who scoffs in annoyance.

"Beginner's outfit is for the poor."

"But we're all in our Beginner's outfit, doesn't that make us poor?" Maple asked Technoblade.

"No, you have other clothings, you guys literally force me to get out of my regal attire to wear peasant clothings."

"Techno, but this my only outfit." Sally told him with a sweat drop.

"You are poor. But this only the beginning, after we're done, you're gonna be rich. All of us will be rich." This caused the group to look at Technoblade weirdly, before turning back to the fishing.

"Want some help?" Dream asked as he sat down next to Maple.

"Uhh... Maybe, but you guys just got here. For now, no." Maple explained to the blond, who nods at her explanation.

"All right, seems fair."

Maple turns to Sally with Techno laying on the stone wall with hands behind his head, just staring at the group with a bored expression, also the rag that was on his head before was no longer there. So his long pink hair was shown.

"You've got quite a lot of points to use for your stats, don't you?" The shield wielder asked the brunette. "Aren't you going to use them?"

"I'll wait till I get a few more skills first." Sally explained as she casts her hook back into the lake. "My battle style gets influenced by my skills after all."

"That's seems like a good plan."

"You're such an experienced gamer!"

"I've played a lot more games than you have, Maple!" Sally told the girl with a smile. "Though probably not as much as Techno, since he barely sleeps."

"That's true!"

Before Sally could respond, her hook started to get tugged. But this time she had difficulties on pulling the rod.

"This is a huge one!"

"That's what she said!"

Maple stares at Sally with a hint of jealously, who was still trying to get a hold of her rod.

Dream just pats her head.

After a bit, the group collected their scales, and arranged them.

Dream, Maple, and Sally stared at the scales infront of them as Techno was still laying on a wall, bored out of his mind.

"We have twenty five in total." Sally told her friends. "Do you think this is enough?"

Maple, a bit unsure, turns to her friend. "Can we spend one more hour here?"

"Okay."

"I don't see why not."

Sally suddenly had gotten an idea. "I have something I want to try out, so can I dive, and hunt for fish?" She asks Maple. "I'm good at swimming in real life too."

"Does that affect you in the game?" The black haired girl asked her friend.

"Yeah." Sally said as she starts to do stretches. "Real life skills like swimming, climbing trees, or having quick reflexes are reflected during gameplay too. They're called player skills."

"Wait, does somebody say swimming, and hunting?"

They turned to see Techno walking over to them.

"Yeah, why?" Maple asked the former brunet. Who smiles.

"Well, swimming is great, and I need something to stab." Technoblade smirks. "That means I'm joining."

"All right, come on, Techno." Sally walks to the water's edge with the pink haired teen behind her.

"I'll see you later!" Sally, and Techno dive into the lake as Dream sits down next to Maple, who turns to him, confused as to why he was just sitting down.

"Why are you just sitting here? Aren't you going to join them?"

"And leave you here alone? Nah, I'll just stay here, and keep you company." Dream smiled as he pats her head, making her blush a bit, but smiled at he said.

"Thanks."

Sally, and Techno dived into the water.

Sally looked around as Techno summons his sword. But Sally notices something, she taps on Techno's shoulder as the teen was about to swim off, and stab some fishes.

Technoblade turns to her with a raise brow. The brunette points to the side, Techno followed on where she was pointing at. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a door that was chained up with a lock. He looked to Sally, he then nods, to which the brunette nods as well. They start to swim towards it.

The two got infront of the chained up door. Sally turns to Techno, to which he turns to her, and nods. He slashes the lock with his sword. Easily destroying.

"Are they okay?"

Maple, and Dream were laying on a rock next to each other.

"They've been underwater for about ten minutes..." Maple told her friend. To which he chuckles.

"I'm sure, they're fine."

They heard them resurfacing. They looked up, which was back since they were laying down, and saw the two resurfacing from underwater.

"Welcome back." Maple greeted. She got into a quadruped position as Dream got into a sitting one.

"How was it?" Dream asked as the two swam towards to them.

"We've got lots of them." Sally told them as she, and Techno got out of the water.

"Yeah, I got to stab some fish."

The two walked to more land as Dream, and Maple got up, and walked over to them. The brunette, and former brunet raise their arms forwards as they drop the piles of scales from their inventory.

"Wow! I can have all these?!"

"Seems like it, Maple." Dream said as he kneels down to the piles of scales.

"I don't need them anyway, and you can have them in exchange for helping me out sometime in the future."

"Yeah, really I just wanted to stab some fish, so yeah, you can have 'em." Techno waved his hand.

"Okay! Let me know if you need my help!" The shield wielder smiled.

"And guys."

Sally walks over to the two, and leans over to the.. "There was a sma tunnel at the bottom of the lake." She whispered to them.

"Huh?! That's-" Maple stopped as she turned to the water's edge. "Hmm... I guess I can't go."

"You can't swim with an AGI of zero." Sally told the shielder wielder. "Seems like I have to do this myself."

"Meh, I'm joining you." They turned to see Techno walking over.

"Really?" Sally crosses her arms as she stares at him, while the pink haired teen got infront of her.

"Yup, got nothin' better to do anyway." To which the girl smirks, while unfolding her arms. "Great."

"So, wait, are you both going now?" Maple asked. She turned to her friends.

"We will, after we raise my swimming skill past a certain level." Sally explains with crossed arms. She sighed. "That's mean we have to get back here again."

"Okay! Starting from tomorrow, let's come here everyday!" Maple stands up as she stares at the brunette. "I told you I'd return the favour!"

"I guess, I'll join in as well." Dream said as he walks over.

"Meh, at least it won't be boring with you guys here."

"I knew you'd three say that!" She hugs the three of her friends. "You're all awesome!"

"Aww, shucks!"

"It's no big deal."

"Meh, it's nothing."

"Come on, let's start!"

All right! I'm done with this chapter, I'll tell ya that the next chapter will kinda interesting, and I'll just tell ya. It won't be Risa's boss battle. And also, if you haven't, maybe you should look at my other story A New Chance, since this chapter might take awhile. But who knows? I might be able to finish it quickly. But I'll see.

Welp, that'll be all, I'll see ya all on the next chapter! Peace!