After finishing up in the bathroom, Fenix wheeled over to the sink, washing his hands with a quick spsh of cold water. The mirror reflected his smirk as he thought about Maya waiting outside, probably getting impatient. He grabbed a paper towel, dried his hands off, and headed out the door.

  Sure enough, there she was, leaning casually against the wall, her fingers drumming on the handle of his Hoover chair.

  “Took you long enough,” she teased, standing up straight.

  Fenix rolled his eyes with a chuckle. “Did you go?”

  “Nah,” Maya shrugged, her grin widening. “But like I said, if I need to go ter, I’ll hold it. No way am I missing out on those prizes.”

  Fenix ughed, shaking his head. “You better hold it. I’m not sharing any of my winnings if you have to take a potty break.”

  “Whatever,” she said with a mock huff, gesturing for him to sit in the chair. “You worry about yourself."

  Once seated, Maya guided the chair smoothly back through the crowded hallway, dodging groups of excited convention-goers. The hum of conversations and occasional bursts of ughter followed them as they made their way to the worker they talked to before.

  “Right on time,” the worker greeted them with a nod, before leading them into a massive room divided by tall partitions. Each divider created small, private sections, around twenty of them, filling out the space.

  The section they were led to was near the back. Walking inside, they saw four chairs positioned around a central table. On the table rested two VR headsets, their sleek bck surfaces gleaming under the soft lighting. They noticed that two other pyers had already arrived, their headsets on.

  Fenix took in the setup, noting the luxurious design of the chairs. "Fancy," he muttered under his breath.

  The worker leaned down, pointing to a small tch on the side of the chair. “You can store your bags here,” he said, demonstrating with a quick flick of his wrist. “You’ll want to get comfortable—it’s a long session.”

  Maya tucked their bags into the hidden compartment as Fenix settled in, feeling the chair adjust slightly to his weight. The worker began guiding them through the next steps.

  “Alright,” the worker continued, handing each of them a headset. “To activate your headset, just scan your bracelet over the scanner here—simir to logging into your account. Once the event’s over, any reward codes you win will automatically be transferred to your email. If you’ve got any questions, now’s the time to ask.”

  Fenix shook his head, slipping the bracelet on. “I’m good.”

  Maya gnced at the worker before shaking her head too. “We’re set.”

  “Great,” the worker smiled. “Go ahead and put the headsets on when you’re ready.”

  Maya turned to Fenix, excitement sparking in her eyes as she shot him a grin. “Ready to grab as many prizes as we can?”

  “I sure am,” Fenix smirked, scanning his bracelet and hearing the soft beep of activation.

  As the worker gave a final nod, Fenix adjusted the VR headset, feeling a momentary weightlessness as his surroundings disappeared into a bck void. A familiar system chime echoed in his ears.

  [System: Internalizing...]

  The robotic voice hummed through his mind, followed by a countdown.

  [System: Transferring to Haven Online’s event world in 3... 2... 1.]

  Suddenly, a kaleidoscope of colors swirled around him. The darkness was repced by the crisp, glowing lines of a character customization screen. It looked simir to the one in the main game, but unlike the usual array of eight distinct races, there was only one option avaible: humans.

  Everything else felt familiar, down to the intricate sliders and menu options, but the race restriction was new.

  Fenix scanned his options but didn’t bother tweaking much of his appearance. His soft features and boyish charm wouldn’t stand out—which was a good thing if he won something amazing. However, he should tweak some things.

  With a small smirk, he flicked through wigs, settling on a long ponytail with bangs that were soft blue. Liking the blue color, he decided to make his eyes the same.

  Next, he browsed through the wardrobe, his eyes catching on a sleek silver robe embroidered with delicate blue and yellow flowers. As he zoomed in, he noticed small, intricate words stitched onto the robe, barely noticeable.

  After zooming back out, he saw the stats that appeared underneath: +20 Intelligence, and MP consumption -20%. Fenix grinned. Fashion and function.

  Each piece of clothing seemed to have unique attributes. As he browsed through the options, he saw tunics that increased agility, cat costumes that added to strength, and lolita dresses with defense bonuses—every piece of attire seemed to offer some kind of edge. But he still thought the blue robe was the best option.

  Although he’d read plenty about this event in his past life, no one on the forums had ever gone into detail about the specifics. The only thing he knew was that they would be able to choose their weapons and skills. With that in mind, he decided to be a mage.

  Satisfied with his look, Fenix paused at the name screen. There was no way he was using his real name. Instead, he typed “Moby Dick” with a smirk, feeling like the treasure would be his "white whale." And unlike the novel’s ending, he would definitely get it.

  He hit the "Ready" button, and the world around him shifted again.

  In a blink, Fenix found himself standing on an expansive field. The sheer size of it hit him immediately—like five football stadiums stacked next to each other. In front of him stood a ptform, towering above the ground.

  On it sat five avatars, all races from Haven Online. A cat beast-woman lounged with her tail flicking zily, a Siren shimmered in the sun, a stout Dwarf fidgeted with his beard, while a Light Elf and a Halfling completed the lineup, each one reflecting their race’s distinct traits.

  Their outfits were decked out in gear reminiscent of top-tier pyers but clearly stylized for the event. Banners waved in the wind, fluttering with symbols of treasure and adventure. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as pyers materialized all around him.

  A tap on his shoulder broke his concentration. He spun around, finding Maya standing behind him. Her appearance had changed just enough to make him do a double take. Her eyes were now an icy gray, and her normally dark hair was a pyful pink, styled to match her bck leotard with a pink pirate jacket draped over her shoulders.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you!” Maya called out with a mock scowl.

  Fenix grinned, giving her a once-over. “Well, you found me,” he said. “But the real issue is what you’ve got on.”

  Maya twirled on her heel, showing off her ensemble with a smirk. “I look good, don’t I?”

  He couldn’t argue with that. “Yeah, yeah, you do,” he admitted, shaking his head with a smile. Though, in his mind, his blue-robed look still reigned supreme.

  Her smug grin said everything—she knew she was pulling it off. Then, as she faced the massive field again, her brow furrowed in thought. “What do you think they’re pnning to do with all of us here?”

  Before Fenix could answer, the cat beastwoman stood, her feline grace apparent as she sauntered over to the microphone. The crowd quieted down instantly, all eyes on her.

  "Welcome, everyone!” Her voice was smooth but commanding. “I’m Jin-Sook, and these are some of my fellow moderators of Haven Online.” She gestured to the other avatars on stage. “This is Eric, Sarah, Dae-Jung, and Hiro.”

  A wave of cheers erupted from the pyers. The energy in the field was contagious. Fenix felt Maya elbow him pyfully, excitement dancing in her eyes.

  Jin-Sook allowed the noise to settle before continuing, her tail swishing zily behind her. “Today, we have something special pnned for you. Three events, each offering the chance to win incredible prizes. But I won’t spoil too much... you’ll just have to py to find out.”

  Her pyful smirk didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd, and murmurs rippled through the pyers. She paused, looking out over the field with an air of mystery before shifting the tone.

  “But before we begin, a quick word about safety. If at any point you feel overwhelmed or scared—”

  “Scared?” Maya whispered, gncing at Fenix with a raised eyebrow.

  He shrugged in response, clearly just as puzzled as she was.

  “—you’ll be able to safely exit the event. However,” Jin-Sook added, her eyes gleaming mischievously, “I doubt many of you will need that.”

  A few nervous chuckles floated up from the group, but most remained focused, curious about what could possibly be so intense.

  “Now, let’s get into the rules for the first event,” she announced. “This is a treasure hunt. You’ll have limited time to gather as much treasure as you can. If you make it to the middle of the maze before time runs out, you will be able to keep the treasure you found. If you don’t make it, you will get nothing. The pyer who makes it to the center first gets a special surprise. Simple, right?”

  "Yes!" the crowd shouted in unison.

  With a flick of her wrist, a transparent screen shimmered into view before each participant, dispying rows of weapons and skills to choose from.

  “You have five minutes to select your weapons and abilities,” she instructed. "CHOOSE WISELY."

  Maya leaned closer to Fenix, studying the list. “Looks like we’re fighting something.”

  Fenix didn’t respond at first, already browsing through the weapon options. “What stats does your outfit have?”

  “+20 Strength and Dexterity,” she said, scrolling through the choices. “I think I’ll go with a bow.”

  “Good choice,” Fenix agreed. “I’m going with a staff.” He clicked on a sleek, white staff adorned with crystals. Its bonus: +30 Intelligence and reduced mana cost.

  The five-minute countdown seemed to pass in an instant, and before long, Jin-Sook’s voice rang out again. “Are you all ready?”

  The response was thunderous, a unanimous “Yes!” from the excited crowd.

  Jin-Sook smiled, her eyes narrowing with a hint of something devious. She waved her hand again, and the ground beneath them trembled. Hedges began to sprout from the earth, twisting and growing until they formed towering walls that stretched high above the field. Within seconds, the entire space transformed into a sprawling, intricate maze.

  Maya instinctively grabbed Fenix’s arm as the ground trembled beneath them. “Whoa,” she muttered, steadying herself against the sudden shift. “Didn’t see that coming.”

  Before Fenix could respond, Jin-Sook snapped her fingers. “Let’s begin!”

  In an instant, the world blurred, and Fenix felt a tug in his chest as the ndscape warped around them. When the haze cleared, he and Maya stood alone, deep within the byrinth with their chosen weapons in hand. The towering hedges loomed over them, casting long, eerie shadows on the ground.

  “Well,” Maya said, gncing around, “at least we’re still together.”