Kael pulled off the helmet and sat up.

  Humming a tune, he headed out to a nearby fast-food joint and bought a couple of burgers. The long-forgotten, mouth-watering scent hit him like a wave, and he couldn't help himself.

  Last time I had a burger must have been seven years ago, right?

  He took a huge bite, closing his eyes to savor the familiar yet strangely new taste.

  Brrring, brrring...

  His phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID: Mom.

  Kael hastily swallowed his mouthful of food and answered. "Hey, Mom."

  "Kael, honey. How are you holding up out there on your own? Is everything going okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm good," he said, trying to sound casual. Suddenly, a cold knot formed in his stomach. He remembered this call—or one just like it—from ten years ago. "Mom," he asked, his voice sharp, "did something happen at home?"

  His mother's voice on the other end became hesitant, stumbling over the words. "No, no, nothing. It's just… you haven't been back in a while, and I miss you."

  She's doing it again. Just like last time. She won't tell me the truth.

  Kael was silent for a moment. "If you won't tell me, I'm coming home in a few days."

  His words seemed to make her even more anxious. "You… don't come back if you're busy! Everything's fine here."

  Just then, a burst of chaotic noise erupted in the background on her end of the line, and she quickly hung up.

  Kael sat on his bed, the half-eaten burger forgotten in his hand.

  The memory came flooding back. Today was the day his father fell from the roof. He was in the hospital right now. And because they were poor, they couldn't afford the best treatment, which was why his dad walked with a limp for the rest of his life.

  Money…

  The thought was a physical blow. He had to make money. Now.

  Kael forced his mind back into focus. His original plan had been to methodically clear out all the hidden quests in the starting village. Some of them were level-gated, only available to new players. But now, that plan was out the window. There would be hidden quests at every stage of the game. He could afford to miss the newbie ones.

  He devoured the rest of the burger in three quick bites, then pulled the helmet back on and logged into the game.

  A quick check of his friends list showed Hazel was offline, probably grabbing dinner herself. This was the perfect opportunity to work on the prerequisite quests for the abandoned mine.

  His objective was clear: unlock the mine as a proper Dungeon.

  Most players treated the abandoned mine past the eastern forest as just another spot for grinding mobs or mining ore. They had no idea that a specific sequence of actions could transform it into a full-fledged instance.

  To avoid drawing attention, Kael toggled his Heart of the Ocean to its "Night Vision" setting. The world within a 40-yard radius became as clear as day to him.

  First, he made a tour of the village shops, buying a strange assortment of items: a simple bowl, a small bell, three vials of a green potion, sigil of repose, and a cut of savory roasted meat.

  With his inventory stocked, Kael headed to a dilapidated chapel south of the village. He placed the bowl on the ground, poured all the potions over the roasted meat inside it, and then simply sat down to wait.

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  It wasn't long before a few stray dogs appeared, their eyes fixed on the meat in the bowl. Kael drew his bow and fired an arrow into the dirt in front of them, scaring them off. A while later, a pack of wolves slunk out of the shadows, and he drove them away in the same manner.

  Finally, a man shambled out from the ruins of the chapel. His eyes were vacant, his movements listless, like a zombie. He staggered toward the bowl of meat, then suddenly dropped to the ground, grabbing handfuls of the food and shoving it violently into his mouth.

  Kael didn't stop him, just watched quietly as the man devoured the entire meal.

  As the last bite disappeared, the man's expression slowly cleared, a flicker of awareness returning to his eyes. His player ID, which had read "Madman," shifted to "Terrified Miner."

  The miner looked up at Kael, his voice raspy. "Thank you for the meat. I swear, that was the best thing I've ever eaten."

  "What happened to you?" Kael asked. "Did you run into some kind of trouble?"

  The miner frowned, his face clouding with confusion. "I was mining… The good ore near the entrance was getting scarce, so I went deeper into the tunnels. I must have hit some kind of switch by accident. Suddenly, I was somewhere… else. A completely different place. There were specters everywhere, just floating around."

  He began to tremble. "There were the Hanged… and Headless Phantoms… and a Banshee… they all came at me!" He clutched his head, his sanity fraying again. "Ah! No, stay away! Don't come near me!"

  A notification popped up in Kael's vision.

  [System]: You sense there is more to the abandoned mine than meets the eye. However, the entrance is guarded. You must seek permission from the guard captain to investigate.

  Kael left the raving miner to his madness. He returned to the guardhouse.

  Edward was busy interrogating Haelan. Kael waited for about ten minutes until the captain emerged from the interrogation room.

  "Captain," Kael said, stepping forward. "I've heard rumors that specters and wraiths have appeared in the abandoned mine to the east. I'd like to investigate."

  He braced himself for the quest prompt. The normal procedure required players to go gather evidence to bring back to the captain.

  Instead, Edward just nodded. "Alright. Here's a pass. Show it to the guards at the entrance."

  [System]: You have received [Mine Access Pass]. Uncover the secrets of the mine.

  Kael blinked. That's it? He just handed it over? No fetch quest?

  Could it be because he’d helped capture the thief earlier? Had that earned him enough trust and goodwill with the captain? He couldn't be sure, but he wasn't about to question his good fortune. He took the pass and left the guardhouse.

  Beep-beep-beep~

  A notification told him Hazel had logged on.

  [Hazel]: I'm here!

  [Kael]: Meet me at the east gate.

  [Hazel]: On my way! :)

  Three minutes later, Hazel appeared, her twin ponytails bouncing as she jogged over, lugging that massive shield of hers.

  "Dawnbreaker! Where are we headed this time? Not the river again, right?"

  Kael gestured towards the eastern gate. "We're going past the forest east of the village."

  "Ooh, okay!" Hazel didn't ask any more questions, simply hoisting her torch and taking the lead.

  Even though it was night, the grinding spots were just as crowded as they had been during the day. Rabbits were still being insta-killed the moment they spawned, and goats were getting mobbed by huge groups. The atmosphere felt calmer, though, with fewer arguments over spawns.

  After a ten-minute walk, they entered the eastern forest. The player density here was even higher than it had been in the daytime. The level 5-7 grinding spots were absolute warzones, with mobs being claimed the second they appeared.

  They pushed on for another fifteen minutes, and the number of players began to thin out.

  Suddenly, Hazel shrieked. "Ah! A snake!"

  She scrambled behind Kael in a flash.

  He looked up and saw a Scaleserpent about ten yards away.

  [Scaleserpent]

  Level: 8

  HP: 1050

  Phys. Attack: 91

  Phys. Defense: 52

  "It's okay," Kael said calmly. "It can't even get through your defense."

  Hazel peeked out from behind him, still looking terrified of the massive snake. Kael knew that Godpath's realistic sensory feedback could cause reactions like this in a lot of players. It was usually temporary. Fear came from the unknown. A few more encounters and she'd be fine.

  He knew just what to do. Feigning concern, he said, "Hazel, I'm squishy. If that thing aggros on me, I'm toast in a few hits. You have to be my tank here. Protect me."

  "Oh…" She took a deep breath, gripped her shield, and moved back to the front of the party.

  She edged forward cautiously. When she was just five yards away, the Scaleserpent lunged, its mouth wide.

  THUD.

  A -1 floated over Hazel’s head.

  A -10 appeared above the Scaleserpent.

  The snake's head had slammed into her shield, making a loud noise but doing almost no damage. In fact, it had taken ten points of recoil damage itself. Seeing that the serpent really couldn't hurt her, Hazel's fear began to fade.

  Kael had his bow raised, but he didn't fire.

  Thirty yards beyond them, in the darkness, lights were flickering. And he could hear a commotion.