Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities-Chapter 72: Not Yet Beach Episode

It was a new day after what Martin dared call the most eventful day of his MMO career.

He was not far into his paid vacation, but waking up so early with a fresh mind already felt amazing. He wished he could be like that every day, and it was yet another reason to keep improving his financial situation.

After his morning routine, Martin put on shorts and a T-shirt and headed to the free outdoor gym closest to his studio apartment to work on his body in real life. He had an exciting image burning in his mind, one that made his muscles warm up and his blood surge hotter: the image of him stepping in for Cassandra at that shameful moment.

Shit, just thinking about it made his blood boil.

He pushed through each set harder than usual, his body feeding on the memory. The look she had given him afterward, and the relief written all over her face, lit something fierce inside him.

It was not only satisfaction. It was the raw, burning feeling of having been strong when it mattered.

Today, I’ll help Chaos’s older sister with her class. Since she’s Chaos’s sister, she’ll probably turn into a good player. And if not, she should at least learn the basics well enough to enjoy the game with Chaos from time to time.

Though if she turned out to be even harder to handle than Chaos, that would be a whole different problem.

Martin had played MMOs before, so healer roles were not new to him. Even so, he pulled up Monster Hunter Academy Online forums and went through class threads, beginner advice, and early healer builds. If Chaos’s older sister was really joining, he did not want to feed her half-baked advice.

By the time he finished his shower, he was more than ready to dive into the game world. There was nothing in real life waiting for him that could compete with it.

The familiar scenery of the Forest Hidden Monster Hunter Academy welcomed him again beneath its deep canopy and rough wooden structures. Morning light filtered through the leaves in long green-gold streaks, while distant player chatter mixed with the rustle of the forest.

But it felt different now. The place was still the same academy, yet yesterday had changed the weight of everything around him. Every level mattered more than before, not just for him, but for the party slowly taking shape around him.

Martin wanted his class to evolve even further, and with a healer potentially joining them, things seemed to be moving in a good direction.

But it was too early for any of that.

Martin could have tried taking on the Dark Blue Goblin Boss alone. But he did not feel like it.

Somewhere along the way, solo play had stopped feeling satisfying on its own. He had enjoyed playing with others so much that going alone now reminded him too much of being alone in real life.

That thought sat strangely in his chest. Not long ago, he would have accepted it without question. Now it felt like settling for less.

He recalled Kill Clause’s remark about him not interacting with the other guild members. Until now, he had never felt any need to. He opened the guild chat and wrote a simple message.

[Emperoar: Sup, anyone up?]

[DevilClaw: Uuuuh, it’s you. Did you get Thorn’Shield’s message?]

[Emperoar: Huh? What message?]

[DevilClaw: He said he’d challenge you for your spot in your party. Bro is jelly about that Hidden Dungeon first clear! XD]

[Emperoar: LMAO. He must be a perfect teammate. Changing teammates like gloves.]

[DevilClaw: KEK! His challenge is probably going to be some solo dungeon clear or category-based thing, which has nothing to do with teammates or parties. He’s a pretty selfish tank anyway.]

Oh, that’s fun to know.

[Emperoar: What are you doing now?]

[DevilClaw: Just hunting this Baby Kraken. I want to beat it at least several more times and hope for a lucky drop, then I’ll go for the Dark Blue Goblin Boss with others. Got any tips?]

[Emperoar: Yeah. Get a skill or weapon that can break through its tough defenses, and you’ll be able to hurt it.]

[DevilClaw: Then we’re lucky! My friend got Spinning Arcane Bolt, which is like a drill. We got this.]

[Emperoar: Yeah, you got this. Nice getting to know you.]

[DevilClaw: Same here, bro.]

Martin smiled faintly at the chat window. It was a small exchange, nothing important, yet it still left behind a surprising sense of ease.

Maybe Kill Clause had been right to point it out. The guild no longer felt like a name floating above strangers’ heads.

He still was not used to that. Logging in no longer felt like stepping into a world where he had to do everything alone.

Grinding solo dungeons over and over for a lucky drop might be exactly what I want right now. I could face the Baby Kraken again and see how I fare against it now that I’ve grown stronger. Or... I could try swimming to the bottom of its lake and maybe find something there...

The thought hooked him at once. It was different from his usual gameplay, and that alone made it appealing. Most players would focus on the boss, the drop, and the fastest clear.

But a lake like that had depth for a reason. Hidden terrain, buried items, maybe even a mechanic most people ignored in their rush to farm. Martin had already tested breathing underwater, so the idea no longer felt reckless. It felt exciting.

So, until Chaos’s older sister contacted him, Martin decided to approach the solo dungeon run differently from everyone else.

Martin arrived at the Light Tree’s Hub, where only a few players were around at this early hour. He paused for a moment and looked at the great tree basking in the first light of dawn before opening his system and diving straight into the Hidden Level One Dungeon.

When he entered the familiar forest, he called out Ao Tenshin.

"We’ll be swimming against the Baby Kraken soon."

Ao Tenshin squealed with fierce anticipation, as if something deep within her recognized this as one of her first real tests.