Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities-Chapter 65: Martinnnnnnn

Martin and NukEncore faced each other yet again.

She did not look nearly as confident this time, not with the weapon in Martin’s right hand. It was the blue crystal warhammer that had pierced through the Goblin Boss. The flat face looked brutal, and the spike looked even worse. Her eyes kept flicking between the two as her mind painted one ugly image after another of that thing slamming into her face.

She paled.

Martin looked different too. Excitement lit up his face as he gripped the warhammer and ran through the new plan in his head, one bold enough that it only made sense in immersive virtual reality. His wide smile gave him the look of a bully, especially with NukEncore standing across from him with a shaky smile of her own.

At last, Kill Clause called the start. "Begin the spar."

Martin charged.

"Don’t come!" NukEncore shouted. Flames burst above her palms, turning into fireballs that she hurled as fast as she could.

Martin did not slow down. He raised his shield closer to his face while his dominant hand locked around the warhammer’s handle. The instant he entered range, he dipped low and swung.

The flat face of the hammer smashed into one of NukEncore’s fireballs with a heavy crack, batting it out of his path instead of letting it burst in his face. The impact jarred all the way up his arm, but it worked.

The other fireball exploded against his shield.

[Perfect Block!]

"Haha!" Martin hollered as his plan came together, closing the distance on the stunned mage.

NukEncore’s lips trembled before she screamed, "THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON MY BEAUTY! GO AWAY!"

Then she spun and bolted for the forest, robe fluttering behind her in a way that made her panic impossible to hide.

Martin, of course, read it completely wrong. I see. She’s planning to use the trees against me again. Keep going, Encore. I dare you to try anything!

"Haha! I nailed this one! Get back here, Encore!" he shouted.

He chased her between the trunks, warhammer low and shield ready, when a thin streak of fire shot out from the shadows to his left.

Martin saw it too late.

It was not another fireball. It was Fire Bolt, tighter, faster, and far harder to answer at that distance. He twisted and snapped his shield up, but the spell still slammed into his side before he could fully protect himself.

Heat burst across his armor and knocked him half a step off balance.

From deeper in the trees, NukEncore’s voice rang out, bright with pride and nerves. "Did you really think I would keep the same tempo forever?"

Martin clicked his tongue and reset his footing, now fully aware that she was still dangerous.

From the other side, Kill Clause and Chaosgraphy watched with matching deadpan expressions.

"What beauty? Your character looks nothing like your real self," Chaosgraphy commented.

Kill Clause smiled. "Speaking of characters, I’ll log out and contact you with the Guild Leader character to make the deal for the crystal spear. The price will be high enough that Martin won’t question selling it."

"Yeah, now that’s what I like to hear," Chaosgraphy said with a nod.

We still have no clue whether that spear crystal is a common drop or not. If it is, we might end up scamming her. I don’t know how much she plans to give for Martin’s share, but anything should help with his financial situation. On the other hand, building a proper long-term business relationship with Cassandra should be the real priority.

The game was already crushing the charts, and its engagement kept climbing every day. Kids, retirees, and worn-out adults had all found something in that world that felt made for them. For investors, it was a gold mine. For regular people, it looked dangerously close to hope.

Chaosgraphy coughed. "Have you really thought this through? What if it’s just a common item?"

"Yes. Even if that spear is one of many common crystal spears, this one still carries more weight than the rest. I’ll pay for that weight, and I do not mind spending a little more on Martin," Kill Clause said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

Chaosgraphy blinked. Am I seeing things? She’s warming up to Martin? Spoiling him?

Just then, a shriek rang out from the forest.

"Nooooooo! Don’t nail my face!"

"..."

"..."

—

After sparring with his teammates, Martin received a message from Night Espresso’s guild leader. He went stiff and serious at once, then told his teammates to follow him to the academy’s hub. The lightness dropped out of him so fast that Chaosgraphy and NukEncore did not even question him. They just exchanged a look and followed.

At the Light Tree’s Hub, a woman in a white business suit and pencil skirt sat on a bench, her eyes fixed on the countless system windows spread out before her.

No one dared sit beside her or disturb her. Even the nearby chatter seemed to fade around her, as if people instinctively knew not to intrude on that kind of presence.

But plenty of people still could not take their eyes off her.

She was a beautiful woman with piercing red eyes and long black hair framing her sharp face. Her fitted jacket pulled neatly across the fullness of her chest, while the white pencil skirt hugged her hips and the plush curve of her ass with such clean precision that it only made her look even more untouchable. Everything about her looked expensive, controlled, and far above the level of the players sneaking glances at her from a distance.

Even the air around her bench felt different somehow, as if people instinctively lowered themselves around that kind of presence.

[Cassandra Selfmore Lv. 1]

Martin gulped the moment he saw her. He clenched his hands like he was about to face the final boss of the game, then marched forward with stiff, perfectly measured steps.

Chaosgraphy’s and NukEncore’s expressions could have used every synonym for the word "deadpan," and it still would not have been enough to describe them.

The moment Cassandra noticed Martin, his back straightened even more.

He saluted and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hello, boss!"

The words came out so sharply that even Martin looked like he wanted to snatch them back out of the air.

Chaos and Encore clenched their hands into fists. Martinnnnnnnnnnnn!