I didn't feel the immediate sting of worry when I read Angelica's frantic message about her friend.
[She might just be sleeping or something. Or perhaps doing a quest of her own,] I messaged back, dismissing the "Ace" for a moment.
My interest in Hye-na was pragmatic; I wanted to add her to my squad to solidify the "Fate Breaker" brand. Now that the channel was a verified success, recruitment was the next logical step to scaling my influence. Good players were like premium content—they attracted higher-tier subscribers.
[Are you sure? She doesn't even respond to my calls!] Angelica fired back.
Tsk. This girl was chronically over-worried.
[Just keep contacting her. In less than one hour, she will respond.]
The interlude between major quests wasn't an idle period of rest. It was a "World Stage" phase where thousands of micro-quests triggered across the globe. Anyone with initiative could stumble into a high-reward skirmish.
