Making money was very real.

As a single-player game, [Getting Over It] was priced at just 1 Magic Net coin. So far, it had sold 200,000 copies.

Nate, being generous with his apprentice, gave her all the revenue. Levy was now officially a little rich girl.

Sigma Male: "Little rich girl, hurry up and start working on the next game!"

Levy: "😱 Another game?!"

Sigma Male: "Of course! Strike while the iron is hot! Your master believes in you! 👍"

Levy: "They’re really going to kill me..."

Sigma Male: "What nonsense! The forums are full of praise for you."

Levy: "Sensei, you’re so mean! 🙈"

After chatting briefly with his apprentice, Nate finished freshening up and left his room.

He stopped by the nearby King’s Suite to check. It was already empty, and all the clothes piled in the bathroom were gone.

Breakfast? No—lunch.

Even the hotel restaurant was empty of the girls.

Nate checked the beach—still no sign of them.

He opened Magic Net and messaged Lucy.

Sigma Male: "Where are you all?"

Gotta Earn Money: "We’re already on the train."

They’d gone home?!

Nate was dumbfounded.

Sigma Male: "You left me alone at the hotel? 🫨"

Gotta Earn Money: "Yesterday was too wild. Everyone’s too embarrassed to face you, hehe. 😳"

A flawless excuse. Nate had no rebuttal.

Thinking back, things really had gotten out of hand yesterday. By the end, with everyone drunk, they’d all been completely open with each other—literally.

Nate finally understood why people organized wild parties. When the atmosphere was just right, even the shyest girls could be swept up in the moment and do outrageous things.

Sigma Male: "I carried each of you back to your rooms last night, and this is how you thank me?"

Gotta Earn Money: "Sorry! 😜 Wait... you carried us? We didn’t walk back ourselves?"

Sigma Male: "What do you think? You were all drunk like pigs."

Gotta Earn Money: "❗❗❗"

What’s with the surprise?

Nate silently grumbled to himself as the chat ended.

After finishing his lunch, he prepared to leave the hotel. While the girls had taken the train out of embarrassment, Nate could teleport directly.

But first, he stopped by Lucy’s mansion.

Inside the villa’s storage room, he enchanted one million Magic Net rings with Internet Magic. After leaving a note for Jude, he packed them all up and teleported back to Magnolia.

…

Meanwhile, in the Dark Web: [Zeref’s Black Magic Tavern]

A dimly lit tavern, its flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows. At the bar, Zeref sat alone, pouring himself a drink. Here, there were no bartenders or waiters. The faint light reflected a pale human face in his wine glass.

"I heard reports of a young man calling himself ‘Zeref’ showing up here. I didn’t believe it at first..."

An aged voice echoed behind him. Hades, his expression alight with excitement, stared at the figure at the bar:

"I can’t believe it’s really you, Zeref!"

"This place is quite nice for a quiet drink," Zeref said, taking a sip without turning around. "Though the tavern is a simulation within Magic Net, the taste is indistinguishable from reality."

"Precht, I have no intention of doing anything in this era."

Hades stroked his long beard, his eyes sharp. "Your seal hasn’t been undone yet, which is why you’re saying that. I’ve already found three keys. Once your seal is broken, the world will change entirely!"

The Great Magic World seemed within reach. Hades passionately described his vision of the future.

Zeref, sipping his wine, listened without interruption. Only when Hades finished did he respond calmly:

"A seal? There’s no such thing. It’s nothing more than the delusions of black magic cults worshiping me. I can’t believe you fell for such nonsense.

"So, I’m sorry. The ‘Great Magic World’ you dream of is beyond my capability."

Hades frowned. "I’ve been to the Western Continent—to the Alvarez Empire. Over these years, you’ve been their emperor."

Zeref was slightly surprised that his identity had been uncovered. He turned to face his “apprentice” whom he hadn’t seen in nearly a century.

Hades continued, "I encountered many powerful mages there. Some of them... I wasn’t even their equal. I faced someone called the ‘Wizard King’ and barely escaped with my life."

Zeref replied lightly, "August? He’s... an anomaly."

Hades pressed, "With that kind of power, why not conquer the world? Conquer Ishgar, then the Northern Continent. Unite the entire world’s magic to create the Great Magic World!"

Still stuck on that dream?

Zeref sipped his wine calmly. "Years ago, the Alvarez Empire nearly launched a war. I was the one who stopped it."

"Why?" Hades asked, growing more confused. "Was it fear of the Magic Council’s Etherion or their Pulse Bombs?"

"That was part of it," Zeref admitted.

The original purpose of creating the Alvarez Empire was to counteract Acnologia. A war against Ishgar would have inevitably drawn out the Black Dragon. At that time, the moment wasn’t right, so Zeref intervened to stop it.

In simple terms: Zeref couldn’t defeat Acnologia. In a twisted sense, Acnologia had protected Ishgar from invasion.

"I see," Hades murmured.

But he hadn’t given up. Instead, he revealed a critical secret:

"You may not know this, but Mavis is dead. After her death, her body was accidentally transformed into an unprecedented magic—the Permanent Magic, Fairy Heart!

"Even if the Pulse Bombs erase all magic across the continent, Fairy Heart will continue to supply infinite magic!"

"What?" Zeref’s face showed genuine surprise.

He knew of Mavis’s death but had never heard of Fairy Heart.

Seeing his interest piqued, Hades smirked. "With the Fairy Heart in hand, the Great Magic World is within reach!"

Hades didn’t believe Zeref could resist such temptation.

Zeref was indeed tempted, but not for the “Great Magic World.” He wanted it to deal with Acnologia.

"Where is it?" Zeref asked.

"Fairy Tail!"

Hearing this, Zeref’s interest faded instantly. "I promised someone I wouldn’t approach that guild."

"Hmm?" Hades was stunned.

"The Magic Net Master, Nate," Zeref said with a smile. "I’m a man of my word. A promise made is a promise kept."

Nate was a good person. He’d even gifted Zeref a Magic Net ring. Without it, Zeref wouldn’t be able to enjoy wine in this tavern.

Hades snorted coldly. "If that’s the case, I’ll fetch it myself! After all, I was the one who created it. Taking back what’s mine is only natural!"

As soon as he spoke, Hades’s figure disappeared from the tavern.

Zeref frowned. Why the obsession with the “Great Magic World”? Such a pitiful person.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to warn Nate.

I Want to Live and Die Naturally: "Your second guild master has set his sights on your guild. It has nothing to do with me..."

After sending the message, Zeref suddenly felt something was off.

"Am I the mole?" he wondered.

Bleam

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