Virtual Space, Plum Village.
Amir and Jayden arrived to a scene of bustling NPCs. The cart rattled behind them, groaning under the strain.
Even without the new lumber, the villagers found something to work on—market stalls, the smithy, even the stone-lined paths between buildings.
A carpenter waved Amir over, motioning to an unfinished house.
"Right there's perfect," the man said, brushing sawdust from his hands.
Amir rolled the cart beside the half-framed wall and stepped back.
[+2 reputation with Plum Village residents.]
A nearby worker, seated on a stump and catching his breath, glanced up. "Think you can move the cart when we switch locations? Makes things a lot faster if we don't have to fetch the wood ourselves."
Amir gave a short nod. "Yeah, we've got it."
Jayden slung his pack off and stretched. "Manual labor quests, just like the old days."
The carpenter laughed at that. "You call this a quest? You boys are just doin' your part."
Jayden muttered to Amir under his breath, eye twitching, "I swear the NPCs are getting sassier."
Amir only half-listened. His attention had drifted to his gear. A warning blinked at the corner of his vision.
[Armor Durability Low]
He tapped the icon.
[Leather Chestpiece]
+10 physical defense
Durability: 8 / 20
Status: Shredded, Bloodstained
Debuff: -5 defense
"Great," he muttered.
Jayden leaned in. "What's up?"
"Armor's about to fall apart."
Jayden clucked his tongue. "Maybe you should start dodging attacks, then."
"I wasn't even touched in the battle against the Murkribs."
"A step in the right direction—possibly. Why don't you let the smithy patch it up for you?"
Amir didn't love the idea. Crafting services usually came with a fee, and he didn't need to check his pockets to know his net worth was exactly 0 coins.
Pathetic.
Still, he made his way toward the forge. The clang of metal on metal echoed across the village, rhythmic and constant. A large man stood behind the anvil, his arms corded with muscle, face smudged with soot.
As Amir approached, the blacksmith glanced up. His eyes narrowed—not with irritation, but recognition.
"You're the one who blocked that overhead swing yesterday," the man said, setting his hammer down with a solid clunk. "Work like that saves lives."
Amir hesitated. "I was just doing what I could."
The blacksmith snorted. "Don't play humble. That swing would've taken out half a' Nolan's ribs. Now, what's the damage?"
Amir struggled to pull off his armor—all the damage made it a challenge.
The blacksmith leaned closer, frowning. "Yeesh. This didn't just see battle—it danced in it."
Amir braced himself. "How much to repair?"
But the man waved him off. "You're not paying. We need you sharp for the next fight. You made the last one a hell of a lot easier."
Amir nodded, voice low. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet." The blacksmith turned to rummage through a nearby crate. "Repairs'll take a while, but I've got a loaner that should fit close enough. Not pretty, but it'll keep your insides on the inside."
He pulled out a patched leather chestplate. It was covered with scuff marks, clearly worn, but solid.
"Take good care of it. And don't die in it—I still want it back."
"I'll do my best," Amir said, slipping into the gear.
"Now go make yourself useful—help with the repairs or build somethin'. I hate distractions while I'm working."
Jayden, leaning against the wall of the forge, perked up. "Or… we can go hunting."
"Didn't we do that earlier?"
"You call that a hunt? That wasn't even an appetizer."
They did only kill two mobs each. "I guess you're right."
"I'm always right."
Amir smirked. "Then lead the way, shortstack."
Jayden glared at him, sticking out his tongue. "And that's no more questions for you, ungrateful brat."
Amir looked down at him, amused. "We'll see how long that lasts."
They set off, Jayden taking the lead. Instead of heading west toward the logging trail, they turned north—toward the mist-veiled ridges of the Grayspine Mountains.
Barely halfway through town, Amir wondered, "Where are all of the players?"
The streets were quiet. Aside from the occasional NPC carrying tools or shouting directions, it felt abandoned.
Jayden struggled, visibly resisting the urge to reply. He gave in. "They probably left."
"Left the game?"
"No, they left the village, idiot. Most of them didn't want to be here in the first place. After yesterday's attack, I'd be surprised if anyone stuck around."
"If they didn't want to be here, why'd they come?"
Jayden gave him a flat look. "You really didn't read anything, did you? You can only choose your starting location if you get past round 5 of the tutorial—it's a reward of sorts."
"Oh." Amir scratched his head. "So where'd they all go, then?"
"Probably Raventon, if I had to guess. It's the safest place in the region—some Rank 3 player's been guarding it for a while."
"Whoa, rank 3? what level is that?"
"Level 50. Not bad, but nothing special either. Last beast wave had dozens of Rank 3 monsters—it took a Rank 4 from the capital to put them down."
Amir frowned. "Where'd all those monsters even come from?"
"Where do you think?" Jayden motioned to the mountain range before them. "The Grayspines."
***
The path twisted like a serpent as it climbed toward the foot of the mountain. Loose gravel crunched beneath their boots, and mist clung to the treetops like a shroud. The further they went, the quieter it became—no birds, no rustling leaves, just the steady sound of their steps.
The Grayspine Mountains loomed ahead, their jagged peaks slicing into the sky like teeth. Shadows clung to the ridges, and though the sun hadn't yet dipped, it already felt like dusk beneath the cliffs.
Amir felt it—a wrongness in the air, like something was watching. His shoulders tightened with unease.
"We're not going all the way in, right?" he asked, scanning the treeline.
Jayden waved a hand dismissively. "Course not. We're sticking to the outskirts. I'm hoping we find a dungeon we can clear—low-tier, something manageable."
Amir nodded, but the tension in his chest didn't ease.
They followed the contour of one of the outer mountains, keeping the village's direction roughly behind them. The terrain gradually shifted—from rocky and bare to lush with vegetation. Plum trees lined the hillside, gnarled branches heavy with pale purple fruit. Some blossoms still clung to the limbs, despite the season.
"So this is why it's called Plum Village," Amir murmured.
Jayden shrugged. "Kinda poetic, I guess."
They continued along the mountain's edge, navigating roots and uneven stones. The trees thinned here, giving way to jagged rock and patches of thorny underbrush.
Just as Amir was about to suggest turning back, Jayden stopped abruptly.
"Whoa, you see that?"
Amir followed his gaze.
Half-hidden behind a curtain of hanging vines and wedged between two ancient boulders was the mouth of a cave—low, wide, and ominously dark. Faint claw marks scarred the stone around it; some were old and weathered, nearly worn smooth, but others were sharp, fresh, and deep.
Amir stepped closer, eyes narrowing. A chill leaked from within.
"Think anything's in it?" he asked quietly.
Jayden walked to the entrance, brushing aside a few loose vines. He tilted his head, listening. "We're about to find out."
A low chime echoed in Amir's ears as text flickered across his vision.
[Quest: Dungeon Raid]
Description: You have discovered a den of Skarnlings. Clear out the cave.
Objective: Eliminate all Skarnlings (Remaining: 32)
Reward: EXP, +5 reputation with nearby settlements, +1 unassigned stat point.
Jayden glanced back at Amir, a grin spreading across his face. "Looks like we found our dungeon."
Amir read the quest again, eyes narrowing at the number. "Thirty-two?"
Jayden pulled out his daggers and gave them a little twirl. "Hey, we've fought worse."
"We've fought four things," Amir muttered. "Last I checked, four doesn't exactly equal thirty-two."
Jayden shrugged.
Amir exhaled and stepped forward, reaching behind his back to grab his shield and spear.
They entered the abyss.
The air inside the cave grew colder with each step. Moisture clung to the walls, and the floor beneath their boots was slick with moss and damp earth.
Their breath fogged faintly, vanishing in the glow of the pale crystals embedded in the walls. The light they gave off wasn't warm—if anything, it made the shadows stretch longer.
Further in, a quiet noise broke the silence.
Amir stopped.
Four shapes crawled from a tunnel branching off the main path—gnarled, insectoid things with hunched backs and too many limbs. Their skin was a patchwork of jagged bone and sinew, and their eyeless faces twitched toward the sound of footsteps. Clawed feet clicked against stone.
"You go left."
He moved forward, shield raised just as one Skarnling lunged. Its claws scraped against the metal with a jarring screech. Amir planted his feet, absorbed the impact, and thrust his spear low—catching the creature just beneath its plated chest.
The Skarnling shrieked, twisting violently as it bled out black, tar-like fluid.
Jayden darted in from the left, a blur of movement. He ducked under a wild swipe and drove his daggers into the joints of another Skarnling's limbs, crippling it before delivering a final blow to the neck.
"Two down!" he called.
The third one circled behind Amir.
Amir pivoted hard, shield first. The creature slammed into it and rebounded, dazed—he killed it with a brutal downward stab.
The fourth tried to retreat.
"No you don't," Jayden muttered, flinging a dagger with practiced precision. It struck true, burying deep into the Skarnling's back.
The cave fell quiet.
[Quest Update: 4 / 32 Skarnlings killed.]
[Your party has killed four Level 8 Skarnlings. EXP gained.]
[Level Up: You have reached Level 4.]
[+1 to all base stats, +2 unassigned stat points.]
Amir exhaled, lowering his shield slightly. "Well, twenty-eight to go."
Jayden walked over to the corpse, yanked his dagger free, and wiped the blade on his sleeve. He called back to Amir, "You warm yet?"
"No."
"Good. That means we can keep going."
They ventured deeper into the cave, the air growing colder and more metallic.
Two more groups of Skarnlings fell to their blades. The fights were swift but not easy—Amir's arms were starting to ache from repeated blocks, and Jayden moved with less spring in his steps.
Amir teetered on the next level.
[Quest Update: 12 / 32 Skarnlings killed.]
Then… nothing. No sounds, no ambushes.
Amir's grip tightened on his spear. "You think they've all gathered together?"
Jayden slowed, brows furrowed. "Maybe. Or maybe they're just waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
Jayden didn't answer.
They continued on, passing through a narrow, jagged tunnel. The cave widened suddenly, opening into a massive chamber veiled in a thin mist. Bioluminescent fungi pulsed faintly across the walls, casting everything in a cold, bluish hue.
And then they saw them.
Skarnlings. Over a dozen of them clustered in loose groups around the chamber—some twitching erratically, others perched along the walls or skittering across the ceiling with unsettling ease. Their claws clicked softly against the stone, a constant, anxious rhythm.
But it was the center of the room that drew Amir's attention.
A much larger Skarnling stood there, nearly twice the size of the others. Its back was covered in thick, interlocking carapace plates, some cracked and scarred from past battles. Bone-like horns curled from its hunched shoulders, and its claws were longer and serrated.
Unlike the others, it didn't move. It didn't twitch. It simply watched.
Jayden inhaled through his teeth. "That one might be a problem."
"What level do you think it is?"
Jayden didn't respond immediately. His face scrunched in thought. "Skarnlings cap at level 8, racially. This one's probably gone past that, though. Judging by its size… level 12. Maybe a bit higher."
Amir's grip tightened on his spear. "We can take it."
Before Jayden could answer, the creature's head snapped toward them.
It let out a deep, guttural chitter that echoed across the chamber—a command.
The Skarnlings froze.
Then, all at once, they turned.
And they charged.