Virtual Space, Dungeon.
Something crawled across Amir's nose.
He grunted and lazily swatted at it. Dust. Or maybe a beetle. Either way, it wasn't welcome.
His eyes blinked open to dim, bluish light surrounding him. The cave hadn't changed—but something in him had. He felt rested, clear-headed… and hungry enough to eat his own boot.
Jayden was already sitting up against the far wall, rolling his shoulder with a grimace.
"You up now?" he asked, voice rough from disuse.
"Barely," Amir muttered, dragging himself upright. Everything from his ankles to his neck cracked.
Jayden tossed him a plum. "Here. For the valiant warrior who decided to nap in his armor."
Amir caught it, biting off a chunk. It tasted like the one from earlier—awful—but he chewed anyway. "Not a bad nap."
"Yeah, well, I had to live with the smell of dead Skarnling for three hours, so I'm glad you slept like a baby."
Amir smirked. "Maybe because you slept through most of the fight."
Jayden snorted. "Hey, results speak for themselves. I'm level 9 now."
"Not bad, kid."
"What about you?"
Amir checked his interface. A small flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"Level 8."
Jayden whistled. "What the hell, man. You sure you're the newbie here?"
But Amir wasn't paying attention anymore.
Two notifications pulsed quietly at the edge of his screen—something he'd overlooked in the haze of exhaustion.
[Blood-Forged: +1 Vitality.]
[You have awakened mana. You are now Rank 1.]
[Rank Up: +5 to all base stats.]
He stared at it for a moment, expression unreadable.
Then: "…Huh."
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He paused for a second. "I think I ranked up."
Jayden blinked. "You what?"
Amir pulled open his full status.
[Ashfall - Rank 1, Level 8 Warrior
Health: 310 / 310 | Mana: 290 / 290 | Stamina: 340 / 340
Title: Prodigy | Traits: Feral, Blood-Forged
Skills: None
Strength: 33 / Agility: 29 / Constitution: 34 / Vitality: 31 / Spirit: 29
Unassigned Stat Points: 9]
"So what, you can use mana now?" Jayden asked.
Amir frowned slightly. He remembered the feeling vividly, but he couldn't bring it back, no matter what he tried. "I don't think so…?"
Jayden tilted his head. "But it says you've awakened it."
"I can feel it," Amir said slowly, still staring at the screen. "Kind of like a hum under my skin. But I can't control it at all. Nothing happens when I try to move it."
"Huh." Jayden rubbed his chin, then shrugged. "Still sounds cool. I can't really help you, man—all the information above rank 0 is unavailable in the tutorial forums."
"I don't think there's anything we could do now. Let's go back to the village, yeah?"
Amir glanced toward the other end of the makeshift arena. The corpse of the Skarnling leader still lay in a heap, curled slightly and letting out a pungent odor.
Jayden followed his gaze and groaned. "Please don't tell me we're dragging that thing back."
"We killed a rank 1 beast. You think I'm leaving it behind?" Amir raised an eyebrow. "I need a new shield, and that thing's shell looks just perfect."
They stood over the body together, examining it. The creature's armor-like plating was cracked and fractured, revealing exposed muscle and hardened tendons.
"Still can't believe mobs don't drop anything in this game," Jayden muttered.
"The system doesn't want to pamper us," Amir said. "At least I hope. This better not be someone's sadistic pleasure."
Jayden made a face. "That's probably right on the money. They could at least give us an inventory, right?"
They spent the next few minutes dismantling the Skarnling leader's body.
Its shell was tough, but Amir was determined to obtain it. He used his spear to wedge apart the individual pieces while Jayden worked on cutting off the claws.
The leader had a different fighting style than the basic Skarnlings, so its claws were smaller than normal for its size, but tougher and sharper.
By the end of it, they were both filthy—drenched in ichor and sweat, muscles aching, clothes torn and ripped from the fights.
Jayden looked down at the claws he had pulled off. There was enough for a small pile.
"How much do you think we can get from selling this?"
"Let's strengthen ourselves first," Amir said. "Then we talk copper."
Jayden rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. Now, how do we get out?"
The walls of stone stood tall around them, unwilling to let go of their prey.
"Good question, Jayden. Good question."
***
The gates of Plum Village creaked behind them as Amir and Jayden stepped onto the worn cobblestone path that wound through the village square. NPCs moved along the sides, carting crates or sweeping steps, their idle chatter blending into the low hum of the village ambiance.
Jayden stretched until his spine cracked. "Alright, I'm heading to the market. Gonna see if these claws are worth anything."
He patted the rough sack on his hip, where several Skarnling claws jutted out through a tear.
Amir nodded. "Let me know if you find anything useful for cheap. And make sure to save a couple for ourselves."
"Define 'useful' for me—I saw some pink dye last time," Jayden grinned. "And don't worry about it, you know me."
"It's because I know you that I'm worried."
They split at the fountain in the center of the square—Jayden veering toward the market space, while Amir turned down a quieter path, toward the blacksmith's forge.
The blacksmith sat on the bench outside the workshop, presumably done forging for the day.
"You're back," he said simply. "I got your chestplate right over here."
The smith turned, grabbed a leather chestpiece from a rack, and tossed it over. It hit Amir's chest with a satisfying thud—dark brown, reinforced with iron plates.
Amir looked at its status.
[Reinforced Leather Chestpiece]
+20 Physical Defense
Durability: 30 / 30
Status: Perfect
Amir pulled off the loaner piece he was wearing, but he hesitated. "Do you want this back?"
The gear was stained black with Skarnling ichor, but was otherwise fine.
The blacksmith grimaced, but ultimately agreed. "Sure… just hafta throw it in the river before it's used again."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"You young-ins don't appreciate anything 'til you don't have it."
Amir didn't know what to say to that, so he ended the conversation with a nod. "Thank you, sir."
He turned to leave, but paused.
"I've got one more thing. I brought back part of the Skarnling shell—me and Jayden just killed it. The leader, that is."
The blacksmith raised a brow. "You guys killed the leader?"
"Just barely," Amir said modestly, unslinging the shell pieces from his back. They were dark, almost black. "It's heavy, dense, and from what I've seen, damn near resistant to physical attacks. Think you could do something with it?"
The smith stood, curiosity lighting in his eyes. He took the shell and turned it over in his hands, testing its weight, rapping it with a knuckle.
"This is solid stuff. Not pure metal, but it'll take a hit better than most iron." He mumbled the process, going over everything he would need to do. He paused, then looked up. "You're thinking a shield?"
"Exactly," Amir said. "Preferably a heater shield. It should be balanced, if possible."
The blacksmith nodded slowly. "It'll take me a few days. This ain't standard work. You want a handle or a grip strap?"
"Both," Amir said without hesitation.
The two began to delve deeper into the specifics.
***
Jayden walked down the street, whistling a tuneless rhythm and tipping a lazy salute at the passing NPCs. He didn't know all their names, but he remembered the important ones. Chris and Collin, the twin carpenters. Blake the blacksmith. And Marnie the merchant, whose stall always smelled faintly of something Jayden could never quite place.
He rounded the last corner and slowed.
Two stalls came into view: one selling bruised fruit and moldy bread, the other unmistakably Marnie's. Her stall was cluttered as always—bundles of coarse rope, chipped flasks, dusty books, dried herbs bundled in twine, and a few decent looking weapons laid out beneath a patched tarp.
Someone was already there—a short woman, probably in her twenties. She had the standard newbie gear for mages—cotton robes, thin leather shoes, no armor—and was clearly only a few hours out of the tutorial, if that.
She eyed a short, knotted wooden staff on Marnie's counter like it was a lifeline.
"I'm telling you, it's real!" the woman said, her voice sharp with frustration.
Marnie, a small, skinny NPC woman with a mole on her upper lip, didn't even glance up from her ledger. "Even if it is, I don't offer credit to folks who can't use what they're buying. Come back later, girly."
The girl insisted. "Why wouldn't I be able to use it? I know I picked the mage looking class! Just give it to me!"
"No money, no staff," Marnie said flatly. "I run a shop, not a charity."
Jayden stepped forward before things exploded. "Alright, alright—what's going on here?"
The female player turned and gasped in relief. "So there are other players here!"
She lit up instantly, eyes wide with hope. She pointed accusingly at Marnie. "Tell this vulture what a loan is!"
Marnie's expression darkened into something between irritation and murderous intent. "Watch your mouth, twig."
Jayden put his hands up, already regretting stepping in. "Okay, okay, just take a breath, both of you."
He turned to Marnie. "Mind filling me in?"
Marnie sniffed. "She wants to buy a staff she can't use and can't pay for. When I try to explain anything, she doesn't even try to listen."
Jayden folded his arms, turning to the player. "Alright, and what's your name?"
"Little Blue," she said, sheepish now. "That's my username."
He nodded. "Scholar, I'm guessing?"
Little Blue hesitated, unsure. "Yeah…?"
Jayden grumbled. It was like Amir, but worse—somehow. "You are a scholar. It evolves into the mage variants after ranking up—if that's what's got you worried."
He rubbed his neck. "Anyways, you can't use that staff yet—"
"Why not?!" Little Blue cut in.
Jayden looked up at the sky in silent prayer. "Just let me finish, okay? Look at your status—you're rank 0, and your mana is locked. That staff needs mana to work, which means you can't use it."
Little Blue's shoulders slumped. She mumbled, "I thought picking the 'magical' class meant I'd, y'know, use magic."
Jayden softened. She looked like a kicked puppy who'd stumbled into a battlefield. "You will, you just gotta work towards it. Now, you've got two ways to level up. Technically three, but I'm not about to toss you into crafting hell."
She perked up, listening.
"First option," Jayden said, holding up a finger, "Make traps with runes. You probably saw the basics during the tutorial. Set 'em near monster paths, let 'em gather mana, then bait something in. The magic will do the work. Takes time and materials, but it's effective."
Little Blue tilted her head. "What if I mess up the runes?"
"You'll look stupid and become monster chow," Marnie said bluntly, still not looking up.
Jayden cleared his throat. "Part of the learning curve."
She frowned. "And the other option?"
"You can buy a Rank 0 staff," Jayden explained. "They're pre-charged with mana. You don't need to channel anything—just point and release. Think of it like shooting a wand full of bullets."
Little Blue's eyes lit up. "How much?"
She turned to Marnie with cautious hope, hands clasped like she was about to beg for salvation.
Marnie simply shook her head. "Don't have any. You can only find those in the capital. Expensive, too."
Little Blue's expression crumpled again. "Oh."
Jayden felt a tiny stab of pity. She was clearly new—not just to the game, but probably to games in general. "How much money you got?"
She made a face and shook her head.
Jayden raised a brow. Amir would be proud, or at least happy, that someone else had joined the broke club. "Alright, I'll help you."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out one of the Skarnling claws. It gleamed faintly under the sunlight.
Marnie's gaze snapped to it, interested. "Where'd you get that?"
"Skarnling den outside the Grayspines," Jayden said casually. "Got 'em off the leader. You want it?"
Marnie narrowed her eyes. "What do you want in return?"
"One book on runes."
Marnie made a sound halfway between a grunt and a scoff, then ducked behind her counter. A few moments later, she surfaced holding a torn book—not much to look at, but capped with a dull red gem. The cover was singed at the edges, but intact.
Jayden took it and riffled through the pages. The words were eligible, and the book stayed intact. "It'll do."
He turned and handed it to Little Blue.
She took it like it was made of gold. "Wait, seriously?"
"Don't get too excited. You still have to learn everything."
Little Blue hugged the book like it was a newborn. "Thank you. Thank you! I'll pay you back, I swear—"
"Don't," Jayden cut her off, amused. "Just stay in the village for a while. That's enough."
She stood, energized. "I'm gonna go toast some mobs!"
"Please be careful!" he called after her.
Marnie snorted. "Two copper says she's back by nightfall, no prey at all."
Jayden grinned. "I'll take that bet."
He leaned on the counter. "Now, I've got seven more of those claws. Rank 1, from a Skarnling leader. How much?"
Marnie's interest perked again. "How'd you kill that?"
"I've got a friend who's pretty strong. Anyways, how much?"
"Lemme see the quality…"