Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities-Chapter 52: Lady’s Privilege

After killing the boss and obtaining a rare drop from him, Martin and his teammates disappeared from the dungeon and appeared at the Light Tree’s Hub.

It glowed with countless lanterns hanging from its branches, their warm light spilling over wooden walkways, vendor stalls, and the steady stream of players moving beneath the towering tree. Even this late, the place was still alive. Parties hurried toward portals, others returned bruised and laughing, and bits of dungeon talk drifted through the night air from every direction.

Today, Martin and his friends were one of those happy, excited groups whose mood made it obvious their run had gone really well.

Only a few steps in, Martin caught people glancing at them, and then the whispers started landing clearly.

"Someone cleared the Level One Hidden Dungeon."

"Yeah, I saw it in the categories... the guys who made new characters just to get into this Monster Hunter Academy must be pissed as hell."

"True! Haha!"

Martin did not slow down, but his ears sharpened.

Each Monster Hunter Academy had its own hidden dungeons and themes. A few hidden dungeons in other academies had already been cleared, and their first-clear rewards were set to be distributed next week. Everyone expected amazing items and skills, maybe even influence in their respective academies as a reward for being the first to clear one.

"We’ll find out next week, I guess."

"Yeah... and this time, it’s Cassandra’s Guild. She really has a good eye for players."

"Not just a good eye... luck matters a lot in every business."

"Really?"

"Yes. You’re too young to understand that."

Hearing other players talk, especially when they were talking about his party’s victory, was weirdly fun. Martin had to resist the urge to stop and listen like a shameless gossip addict.

Maybe tomorrow morning, he really would spend some time scrolling through social media, because there was no way people were staying quiet about this.

He turned to his teammates. "We’re the talk of the hub."

"Mhm. Yep," NukEncore replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Chaosgraphy and Kill Clause nodded, not paying it much mind as they headed for their usual meeting spot: the wooden bench.

Martin blinked. "You guys don’t find it fun?"

Chaos looked at him over her shoulder. "None of them have even the slightest idea what we fought or how we defeated it."

"I mean..." Martin wanted to argue with her, but there was truth in her words.

He could not really come up with a good response, and the others’ lack of enthusiasm toward the gossip did not help him find one.

I guess they don’t like attention.

Martin shrugged it off.

Once they reached their usual meeting spot, Chaosgraphy turned to the others and drew everyone’s attention without needing to raise her voice.

"Tomorrow evening is booked for me, but I can do other categories in the afternoon," she said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Today was too good to leave at one run."

NukEncore’s eyes lit up at once. "Mhm! That works for me!" She leaned forward with a bright grin. "I want to see you finish off the boss too, Chaos. Strictly for comparison, of course."

Chaosgraphy met her look without missing a beat. "Trying to defend your title already?"

NukEncore put a hand to her chest. "Naturally. A star has standards."

Martin snorted, and Kill Clause folded her arms. "The real issue is efficiency. We should each take a turn as the main damage dealer against the Goblin Boss."

Just like that, the mood shifted, and Kill Clause continued in the same calm, exact tone. "If the dungeon rewards role performance properly, spreading the finisher role across the team should improve our odds of getting strong offensive skills next week instead of overlapping supportive ones."

Chaosgraphy gave a small nod. "That does sound better."

NukEncore lifted her chin. "Then I’ll gladly continue setting the standard."

Martin looked at the three of them and felt a grin pull at his mouth.

Chaosgraphy pushed forward like every win was bait for a bigger one. NukEncore turned everything into a competition the second she smelled glory. Kill Clause was already converting excitement into a better plan.

And somehow, he had ended up with all three of them on the same side.

Things really were looking better.

Martin smiled at everyone. "Thanks for today. I really enjoyed it. I’m freaking excited for the next few days since I don’t have work and can just play all day long!"

Chaos let out a soft chuckle. "Don’t become a shut-in." She pushed herself off the bench with easy grace. "I’ll be going now. It’s late, and I still have a life outside the game, unlike some people who are one free day away from dissolving into a chair."

Martin opened his mouth.

NukEncore giggled.

Chaosgraphy’s smile widened just a little. "See you all tomorrow. I’ll join the guild then as well."

And with that, she disappeared.

Kill Clause rose next. "I’ll be on my way too." Her gaze settled on Martin, steady and direct. "You made everyone look to you as a leader today, and your decisions made the run smooth from start to finish. Well done."

Martin blinked. Coming from her, that praise carried weight.

Kill Clause was not the kind of person who praised carelessly. If she said it, she meant it.

Then, more quietly, she added, "I look forward to playing with all of you."

Back to the boss attitude? But she sounds warmer, so it might grow on me now.

Martin grinned. "You too. You’re amazing to play with, and I’m really glad you want to stay with us."

For the first time that night, Kill Clause’s expression softened in a way that felt unguarded rather than restrained.

"Please, I had a lot of fun," she said. "Fighting as a Ranger today gave me the same excitement I felt when I competed in youth archery competitions. Maybe even more."

"Oh! So you really do have real-life experience. I knew it!" NukEncore chimed in.

Kill Clause gave a single nod, then logged out.

Now, it was only Martin and NukEncore.

The hub suddenly felt quieter without the others around. Not actually quiet, not with distant voices, footsteps, and the soft glow of lanterns above them, but quieter in the way a place changed when attention narrowed down to one person.

Looking at her, Martin remembered holding her in his arms: the warmth of her body, the way she had fit against him, and the soft pressure when she had snuggled closer instead of pulling away.

That memory hit him almost as hard as the adrenaline rush after defeating the elite boss, maybe harder in a different way.

He smiled at her. "Could I learn your real name?"

NukEncore’s eyes widened just a little, then warmth slowly spread across her cheeks, soft and unmistakable, and a smile bloomed on her lips as though the question had touched somewhere deeper than she expected.

For a few seconds, she said nothing. She looked at him, then down, then back up again. Her fingers rose to her lips almost on instinct, delicate and hesitant, while something gentler flickered beneath her usual playful brightness.

There was real temptation there, and real fear too, both tied to her real-world identity. Martin saw the hesitation even if she tried to hide it.

Putting one finger lightly against her lips, she tilted her head and smiled wider, her eyes curving with mischief that could not quite hide the softness underneath.

"It’s a secret for now, Martin."

Her voice came out sweet and light, but her heartbeat seemed to betray her. Even in the game, there was something intimate in the way she held his gaze, like she was letting him close enough to notice the door without opening it yet.

"It’s unfair that I know your name while you don’t know mine," she went on, a teasing lilt returning to her voice, "but that’s a lady’s privilege."

Martin let out a quiet sigh. "Right."

NukEncore’s smile faltered at the edges, turning shy for just a moment.

"You made this day for me..." she said, her voice softer now. "Sorry if I was too much. I might’ve crossed a few boundaries too..."

But I do feel strangely safe with you.

Martin smirked. "If anyone has ever told you that you give off strong pick-me girl vibes, they were right. That said, I don’t think you’d jump into just anyone’s arms that easily, right?"

That playful confidence returned to her immediately. NukEncore planted her hands on her hips and pushed out her chest with dramatic pride. "Of course not!"

Martin’s hands clenched unconsciously, and a small, selfish sense of victory spread through him at how fast she had answered. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I see."

NukEncore caught the look on his face, and a knowing smile slowly curled across her lips, slower this time and warmer too. She took half a step back, but her eyes stayed on him.

"You’re the only one who brings out critical damage from me..." she said, then let the pause hang between them just long enough to make it dangerous. "And maybe more."

The teasing little pause in her voice made his chest tighten. For a second, even the lantern-lit hub felt too warm.

Then she stuck out her tongue, breaking the tension before it could go any further, and logged out.

Even though her avatar looked like a plain girl with purple hair, she carried a kind of allure in that moment that easily transcended the game’s plain design.

Alone, Martin glanced at the Light Tree and logged out as well.

He thought he would spend the rest of the night scrolling on his phone since he had no work tomorrow, but that quickly turned out to be a lie when he simply went to sleep and woke up early the next morning like usual.

This time, he didn’t feel like dead weight.