Silence fell over the table. No one spoke nor moved. Everyone was stunned, not because of the decration—but who it came from.

  Kol himself froze after he said that.

  “Kol...” Annie spoke. Her usual pyful demeanor had vanished and was repced by a rare, serious look.

  “So, you want to chase down the weapon?” Dalia interjected, her tone most curious. She turned to face Kol, intrigued by the shift in him. “What makes you think this is the right choice?”

  Kol’s mind raced. It wasn’t like him to make such impulsive decrations, let alone draw attention to himself like this. But this decision came naturally, instinctively, before even he himself knew what he was doing, and his resolve had already solidified. He couldn’t expin it, but the words just felt right.

  A loud, exaggerated sipping noise pulled everyone’s attention away from Kol and towards Broil. He looked in Kol’s eye, his gaze searching for hesitation, for doubt.

  But there was none.

  Then he put down his tankard with a satisfied sigh. “I don’t mind the idea,” he finally said with a deep voice, breaking the suspense.

  “You’re really on board with something like this?” Mervin questioned, to which Broil simply nodded and answered “I am.”

  “Besides,” he leaned back, arms crossed. “He’s got that look.”

  “What look?”

  Broil gestured vaguely at Kol. “That ‘I’m gonna do this whether you like it or not’ look.”

  “If he’s sure, then so am I!” Abaka decred, cpping a hand against the table.

  Mervin let out a long, exasperated sigh. “At this point, I don’t even have the energy to protest,” he muttered in resignation. “Sure, whatever.”

  They looked at Annie to ask for her opinion, but all it took was a look on her face to know she was already siding with Kol.

  Kol opened his mouth to say something, but then, a message appeared for everyone.

  [Notice: The session ends in 15 minutes. Find a safe zone or the nearest exit portal and log out.]

  Annie stood up, her usual pyful persona returning. “Alright, you heard the system. Let’s go!” she said, stretching her arms. “We’ll meet up at the town square tomorrow and begin the quest!”

  A collective sigh of relief rippled through the group.

  Kol exhaled, shoulders loosening as the tension drained from his body. He hadn’t expected the conversation to go that way—to be the one deciding their objective.

  And yet, he did.

  Was it the right choice?

  Annie nudged him with her elbow. “Didn’t know you had it in you, Kol.” She teased with a sly smirk. “Shame the session is ending.”

  Abaka stretched with a groan. “Yea, it was just getting interesting.”

  “Well, you guys have fun with the quest.” Said Dalia. “I’ll have to head back. I’m still on the clock...” She murmured.

  As the group made their way toward the exit, Dalia turned to face them.

  “Good luck on your mission, cadets.” She said, smiling before she strode off into the streets.

  “I like her, y’know!” Abaka said as she disappeared around the corner.

  Broil grunted. “Well, it doesn’t seem to take you long to take a liking to anyone, boy.” He remarked.

  The group returned to the castle’s upper chambers, stepping into a grand hall overlooking the bustling marketpce below, joining the crowd of people waiting for the session’s end

  One by one, people stepped through the swirling blue exit portal and logged off for the day.

  So ended the first official session of that batch of interns.

  ***

  The next session started early in the morning. As such, everyone was expected to make it to their cubicle and log into the game by 7’o clock.

  So naturally, Annie and Kol were already logged into the game and waiting by the fountain at the town square 15 minutes prior, at Annie’s insistence.

  The square was mostly quiet. Most Pyers didn’t log on at this hour, so the only noise made was by NPCs murmuring, talking as the vendors set up shop, though there were the occasional early riser Pyer jogging past.

  “You know,” Annie began, breaking the silence with her trademark pyful tone, “This is the only time I actually enjoy logging in. No distractions, no raging Pyers—just the calm.”

  Kol gave a small nod, watching the faint mist curl around the base of the fountain. “Yeah. It’s… peaceful.”

  “Look at you, getting all sentimental before sunrise. Should I be worried?”

  He rolled his eyes. “You dragged me here early. You get what you get.”

  “Fair. Still, I like it when you’re like this. Kinda makes me think you’re human.”

  Before he could reply, a figure waving in the distance caught his attention—Abaka, followed by Mervin and Broil.

  “I hate all of you for agreeing to this hour,” Broil said accusatorially, thinking of no one in particur.

  “Technically, none of us agreed,” Abaka noted. “Annie just said we were meeting early, and you all showed up like whipped dogs.”

  Just as they began settling into their usual banter, a new arrival at the edge of the square drew their attention.

  It was Dalia. She wore a dark-blue long coat, sleek and stylish but functional, with a badge near her chest and a sword hilt strapped to her waist, her boots making a soft thud on the cobblestone streets as she walked.

  “Are we under arrest, officer?” Annie asked teasingly.

  “Not yet, but now I’m considering it.”

  Kol watched as she approached, noting the slight difference in her demeanor today. She looked more serious, but there was still a hint of something pyful behind her eyes. When she reached them, she gave a quick, almost formal nod of acknowledgment.

  “I am here to teach you a bit about the game.” She spoke.

  Broil raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say yesterday you can’t help us?” He asked.

  “Yes, that’s correct. I can’t help you solve quests,” Dalia said. “But I can teach you about the game’s system.”

  The group exchanged looks.

  Broil folded his arms. “You giving us the crash course out of the kindness of your heart?”

  “Yep!” She quipped back.

  “Game’s system?” Mervin repeated. “What’s that mean?”

  Dalia smirked slightly, breaking the serious expression she carried on her face for a moment.

  “The easiest way to expin is to let you see it for yourselves.”

  Suddenly, a small translucent window appeared before each of them from nothing, hovering in the air, startling everyone.

  “This is the game’s interface, something only you can see. A system that tracks everything about you in the game—your level, stats, abilities, and even special titles. But those are not important at the moment.”

  Dalia waved a hand, and the dispy morphed, transitioning into a new tab, titled quest log.

  “The quest log keeps tab on all avaible quests, missions, and tasks on all servers. For now, simply wave a hand to jump to the next tab—the map.”

  Just as she said that, a quest appeared in their quest tab.

  [New Quest: First Steps]Objective: Wave a hand to jump to the map menu.

  They did as instructed, and the tab folded away like a book, repced with a sprawling, semi-translucent map of Arsuuna, littered with icons of various new things left to explore.

  “Oooh,” Annie awed, spinning in pce as the map rotated with her movement. “This is so cool.”

  “This is... more detailed than I expected,” Abaka muttered, tapping one of the icons experimentally.

  “It updates as you explore,” Dalia expined, hands behind her back. “Each server has its own yout, but major ndmarks remain consistent across all. You can pin locations, share coordinates with party members, and some regions unlock special tabs based on discovery.”

  Dalia cpped her hands once, sharply.

  “Alright. That’s enough staring for now. Back to your main interface.”

  The map folded down with a soft ping, repced by the general status screen again.

  “Now, listen up.” Dalia’s tone sharpened. “You might think of this game as a sandbox MMO with high-end immersion, but it isn’t. It’s more than that. The system adapts to how you py. It initially sets titles or abilities you didn’t select but were granted when you first connected to the game.”

  “Wait,” Mervin cut in. “What abilities are you talking about?”

  “Remember how your clearance cards changed after your first session? That was the system determining what abilities are best suited for you based on data collected on your first session. Which brings us back to the profile menu.”

  A ping popped in on the corner of the interface.

  [Quest Updated: First Steps]Objective: Wave a hand to get to the profile menu.

  They followed the prompt, and with a wave, the map vanished, repced by a new window beled [Pyer Profile].

  Each of their interfaces now showed something different. At the top: a name, a level, and several lines listing various stats—Strength, Stamina, Intelligence, Arcane—gear and skills.

  Kol frowned.

  “Why is this one beled Unknown?” he asked.

  “That’s your tent trait,” Dalia said. “It’s a variable slot. It adapts and evolves based on your gamepy behavior. For most Pyers, it stays locked unless certain conditions are met. Why?”

  Kol frowned and checked it again.

  “Mine is... fshing...” He pointed at the word Unknown that had a faint pulse of bck and blue, like a heartbeat.

  Dalia stopped mid-step. She whipped around and strode over to him and silently stared at his interface.

  “Didn’t you say only we can see this window?” Asked Broil.

  “Normally, yes, but staff are exceptions...” Dalia answered and raised her head. “Yours is already active...” she murmured in surprise. You already triggered yours. I don’t know what.”

  Annie tilted her head. “Is that rare?”

  “Most of us testers haven’t unlocked ours yet.” Her expression shifting from surprised to unreadable, then back to happy. “You’re lucky. Anyways—”

  Dalia turned back to the rest of the group, brushing the matter to the side.

  “—There’s one more thing you need to know, that is how to create a party!”

  She stepped back and flicked her hand sideways. Instantly, another new prompt appeared.

  [Quest Updated: First Steps]Objective: Initiate a party invitation or join a party.

  Broil squinted at the floating prompt. “Initiate a party… How?”

  “Same way as before,” Dalia instructed. “Use the motion menu or say the name of the person you want to invite out loud. It’ll bring up an interaction wheel.”

  Mervin tried it first. “Annie.”

  A circur menu took shape in front of him. He tapped on the icon marked [Send Party Invite], and just like that, Annie’s name floated to the top of the party list.

  “Wait—nope.” She declined it with a grin. “I call dibs on party leader!”

  One by one, the group sent their acceptance to Annie’s invite as she waved her hand, and each of their names popped up on the party list:

  Party Leader: AnnieMembers: Kol, Broil, Abaka, Mervin

  “There. Now we’re officially a team.” Annie struck a proud pose. “I promise to only mildly abuse this power.”

  “Define mildly,” Mervin muttered.

  Dalia smiled and took a step back. “Alright. Interface, map, quest log, party creation—” She counted on her fingers. “—Yep, that covers the basics. More than most new Pyers bother learning in their first week.”

  Dalia turned around, her coat swirling on the wind, then snapped her fingers. There was a pause, then a thick blue haze covered her figure.

  She looked back over her shoulder and waved. “Good luck on your little expedition,” she called out. “Try not to die horribly.”

  “Wait a second—” Abaka called. “What happens if we die?”

  But Dalia was gone before he could get an answer—vanished from sight, leaving only a swirl of blue light behind.

  The group stood still for a moment, staring at the spot where Dalia had just vanished.

  “Well, that was dramatic,” Broil muttered.

  “Kind of hot, though,” Annie added, smirking. “Alright, team, let’s go do our First Official Party Thing?. Open your quest logs!”

  They did just that and opened the interface again. The ‘First Steps’ quest had been completed and, in its pce, appeared another.

  [New Quest: A Weapon To Fear]Objective: Find a way to access Korikangoku.

  “I guess that means we’re doing this.” Said Broil, curling his mustache. “Still, this ‘system’ is not very intuitive.”

  “There aren’t any clues either.” Abaka pointed out. “Not to mention there is no way for us to get access to that server, so, what do we do? Grind some starter quests? Maybe it’ll show up if we level up a bit?”

  “That’d be the standard MMO logic,” Annie said, shrugging. “Get stronger, unlock new areas and so on.”

  Broil crossed his arms, eyeing the quest’s name. “Weird name. Anyone know what that means?”

  “Kangoku means prison. Kori is ice. So… Ice Prison?” Annie suggested.

  “Woah, how’d you know that?” Abaka asked.

  Annie puffed her chest. “Read lots of light novels and manga!” She excimed proudly.

  “Great. So we’re getting frostbite and a criminal record,” Broil muttered.

  “It could just be a fancy name for some dungeon,” Mervin said. “Either way, it’s locked, and I don’t see how knowing that would help.”

  Annie put up a finger. “And that’s where you’re wrong!”

  She turned to face the group fully, clearly enjoying the moment of having their full attention.

  “Because maybe the name is a hint of what kind of server it is. Cold, isoted, maybe dangerous. Then again, it could be Ice’s Prison...”

  “Those are just guesses.” Broil stated.

  “But they are clues of what we should expect on the server.”

  “If no one can access to the server, it could also be a test-server.” Abaka added. “Which means it’s meant to be non-accessible for the public yet. We could get in a lot of trouble if we somehow get in there.”

  Annie waved her hand dismissively. “Please. You think they’d dangle it in front of us and make it show up in the quest log if we weren’t supposed to try?”

  “That’s… kind of a fair point,” Abaka said reluctantly, scratching the back of his neck.

  “Worst case scenario we report a bug or an exploit and get a few credits for it.”

  Kol remained quiet, his eyes still on the quest window. He didn’t speak, but his gaze lingered a little too long on the pulsing blue-and-bck text. He finally closed the interface with a slow wave of his hand.

  Annie caught the motion out of the corner of her eye and gave him a curious look, but didn’t say anything.

  “There is still the matter of how to get there.” Mervin interjected.

  Silence fell on the group as each of them pondered a solution. At st, Annie recalled something and spoke up.

  “Remember the portalstone in the sewers?” She piped up, like a light bulb lit above her head. “What if that portalstone can be used to access Korikangoku?”

  Abaka raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty big assumption. And I also remember Dalia saying that portal is faulty. ‘All it does is spit people out on random servers’ if memory serves. The chances of that getting us to Korikangoku is near zero.”

  Annie opened her mouth to say something but said nothing. Nothing came to her mind. Her steps slowed, and the spark faded from her expression. She was out of ideas.

  The group stood in an awkward silence.

  Abaka was the one to break the silence with a dry chuckle. “Well, that enthusiasm didn’t st long.”

  “Shut up,” Annie muttered, folding her arms, muttering something under her breath.

  “Maybe we investigate again, like we did yesterday?” Mervin suggested.

  “We could do that,” Annie said, weighing the merit of Mervin’s suggestion. “Okay, that works.” She perked back up. “Let’s split up and see if we can find any clues we missed yesterday, then meet up ter. ‘Kay?”

  “I got no problem with that.” Broil stated loudly. “Do you?” He asked the others, to which the answer was the same.

  “Sweet. If you find anything, there should be a group chat below the team tab in the interface.”

  Abaka gave a thumbs up. “Got it.”

  “Same,” Mervin confirmed.

  Kol nodded silently, while Broil just grunted.

  “Right. Let’s move out!” Annie decred, spinning on her heel and practically bouncing off in the opposite direction.

  The group dispersed, leaving the square behind to fan out across the morning town, which was now filled with Pyers.

  ***

  The city-side of Arsuuna was a great league away from its heart.

  This part of the server was not as developed as the rest. It was more rural—run-down where houses were scarce, and rooftops sagged under the weight of moss and time. The further one moved from the wonderous sight of the central square, the more the city wore its age pinly.

  Then, at the very edge of the city, was a great wall taller than a skyscraper and more imposing, that encompassed the whole of Arsuuna.

  Kol stood at the top of that great wall. The stone beneath his feet seemed ancient, holding history that had long been forgotten by the world around it, its grey surface weathered by countless years of sun and rain.

  His fingers tingled as the coolness of the stone seeped into his skin. He felt the thinness of the air, like it would be at that altitude. It still amazed him that a game like this existed.

  He took a deep breath of the clean air and sighed.

  His mind, usually sharp and attentive, wandered aimlessly as he stared at the endless expanse of ft nd stretching before him. There wasn’t much to look at, but he enjoyed the scenery anyway.

  Still, the feeling was all the same. If there was one thing he was thankful for—not being like in real life—it was the absence of his headache.

  But then another thought settled in his mind: how could the game recreate such things?

  Then there was the ‘Unknown’ trait.

  Kol leaned against the railing.

  The way Dalia brushed it aside after drawing attention to it like that felt... off.

  A notification appeared in his inbox.

  [Party Chat - Annie]: Found something on portalstones

  Kol narrowed his eyes. The portalstone, a strange device hidden in the sewers beneath the server was supposed to defective according to Dalia.

  He let out a sigh and gnced at the cityscape, feeling a sudden sense of disconnection. He wasn’t sure if it was the game or just his own thoughts, but something about the whole situation felt... off, though how he could not answer.

  Then, another notification appeared.

  [Achievement Completed: Traveled Tippler]Visit every establishment in Arsuuna that serves alcohol and drink at least once.

  (Completed by: Broil)

  He chuckled slightly. He didn’t know the man well, but it somehow felt right that he would be the one to complete such an achievement.

  His gaze then shifted below the glowing achievement notification.

  Cim reward: Yes/No

  His curiosity rose and said yes.

  The prompt disappeared, then a key with a peculiar shape appeared in his hand. Next to it was a short wall of text:

  People who possess this key in their inventory can unlock any lock equal or lower than their level.

  Unlocking any lock equal or lower than his level... That was an interesting piece of information. It was a simple function, but the implications seemed vast. More than that, this reward seemed too overpowered for how easy it was to get.

  His mind wandered back to the portalstone.

  The mention of it earlier in the chat log still lingered in his mind. ‘Faulty’ was the word Dalia used to describe it. A broken line of code was probably the cause of it malfunctioning, so why was it still there?

  If a game coder sees something like this, it would take them three days at best to fix the issue—even sooner, considering this was The Gateway. So why had it been left unresolved? Sure, the game was still in its alpha state...

  Kol frowned.

  Still, it didn’t make sense just leaving it there for over a month...

  ...Not unless it was a work in progress—

  Kol straightened, posture tightening as if someone had tugged a string in his back and began running.

  —Which means it can be tampered with.