As soon as the sun rose over the academy, players began logging in en masse. The long-awaited maintenance was finally over, and people were eager to dive into the first day of the expansion. Among them, William, also known as Prominence, gathered around with his party members on the academy grounds. Mike, Zero, and Storm — the three familiar faces could be seen.
William stretched leisurely, feeling the warm, morning light caressing his face. “Ah, feels great to be back online. I don’t want to waste my sleeping time with just sleeping.”
A handsome player beside him, Mike, grinned as he held up the holographic interface. “Guys, check this out. There are new missions from the expansion, and they’re handing out spirit coins as rewards!”
Everyone’s eyes lit up. Without wasting a second, William opened the missions list to scan over the details.
[Investigate and explore the land full of undead creatures to the southeast of the academy.]
[Mission Difficulty: Three stars]
[Requirement: A full second-stage Initiate Attunement or higher party]
[Note: Caution is needed when exploring an unknown land. In the event of death, you’ll still receive additional compensation of half of the total reward.]
[Reward: 100 spirit coins per player, with additional rewards depending on any special discoveries]
————————
[Scout the advance of the undead horde.]
[Mission Difficulty: Two stars]
[Requirement: A full first-stage Initiate Attunement or higher party]
[Note: Be extra cautious and don’t take risks by confronting the undead army. In the event of death, you’ll still receive additional compensation of half of the total reward.]
[Reward: 75 spirit coins per player, with additional rewards depending on the information gained]
————————
[Defend prearranged strategic locations.]
[Mission Difficulty: Two stars]
[Requirement: A full first-stage Initiate Attunement or higher party]
[Note: A special role of “advisor” will be given to a player later to help the academy staff command the defenders. In the event of death, you’ll still receive additional compensation of half of the total reward.]
[Reward: 50 spirit coins per player]
————————
[Set up traps at several locations]
[Mission Difficulty: One star]
[Requirement: None]
[Note: Additional instructions will be given by the assistant fairy or an academy’s staff once you’ve set up the party. In the event of death, you’ll still receive additional compensation of half of the total reward.]
[Reward: 25 merit points per player]
…
The list was packed with expansion-related tasks, many of which extended beyond the typical combat scenarios. A surprising number focused on logistics and support, aimed at bolstering the frontliners in the fight against the undead.
Zero adjusted his nonexistent glasses and commented, “Looks like we’ve got some serious undead threats to contend with.”
Smirking, William suggested with pride, “Well, since we’re arguably the strongest party in the game, it’s only natural we take on the hardest mission. Let’s show everyone why we’re the best!”
Storm, however, had other priorities. “Hold up! Before we jump into it, we have to check the academy store. I’ve been dying to see if they’ve stocked the Mana Aptitude Enhancement Elixirs!” he exclaimed in desperation.
The group exchanged nods of agreement and made their way to the academy store within the Headmaster’s Building. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded at the moment since it was barely a few minutes after maintenance. Upon arrival, they were greeted by an impressive selection: magic weapons of varying grades, magic scrolls, and other potions and elixirs.
“These rewards are insane! Especially the much-coveted Mana Aptitude Enhancement Elixirs, even if each one costs one hundred spirit coins! This expansion’s no joke.” Storm was beyond excited.
However, their eyes soon fell on a strange potion displayed in the middle of it all. As Storm read the description, he instantly jumped on the spot like a monkey, shouting, “This one is mine! Anyone who dares take it will have to face me!”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
It was actually a Gender-Changing Potion!
A potion that was rumored to exist since the inception of the game. Of course, any healthy adult male (man of culture) would be interested in acquiring it, even if it only held a temporary effect — William himself was obviously interested. But as Storm read the price tag, his excitement fizzled out; it was priced at five hundred spirit coins per vial!
Mike let out a low whistle. “That’s very steep. We’d need to clear the hardest missions five times just to afford one.”
William nodded, determined. “Then it’s settled. We’ll tackle the hardest mission. If we want to hold the top position longer… or in the case of Storm,” he looked at Storm who planted his face on the display glass, “well, you know, we’ll need every edge we can get.”
A three-star mission signified that even with a party of second-stage Initiate Attunement players, the risk of death was substantial. Since none of them — including William, one of the most advanced players — had reached the third stage, taking on such a challenge was a gamble. However, the rewards were undeniably tempting.
Just then, a crucial realization hit them. A full party required five members, but there were only four of them. Someone was missing.
William was the first to voice it. “Hey, has anyone heard from SuperNova? He hasn’t been online since… I don’t know.”
He quickly checked the Shadowlink Mark and navigated to the friend list, which displayed the online status of his friends. SuperNova’s name wasn’t lit, meaning he wasn’t logged in.
Zero crossed his arms with a concerned expression. “Nope. He didn’t reply to my messages either. Pretty odd for him to go radio silent, especially with the first expansion dropping.”
“You think he’s busy in real life? He mentioned being swamped with his thesis a couple of weeks ago. Could still be working through that,” Mike theorized while shrugging.
Storm furrowed his brow. “Could be. But even when he’s busy, he usually pops in to at least say hi on Discord.”
William couldn’t help but imagine all kinds of scenarios out of thriller movies. Kidnapping? Alien abduction? He quickly shook the thoughts away. Ridiculous. But still… “It’s not like him to skip out on the hype. You think something happened?”
The group exchanged uneasy glances. They all knew that SuperNova lived alone in an apartment, meaning if something happened, there was no one around to check on him. Then again, disappearing for days or even weeks was a fairly common occurrence in online communities. Worrying too much might not accomplish anything.
“Well,” Zero began, tapping his chin, “I think he lives somewhere on the East Coast — in New Jersey, if I remember right. But I don’t know the exact address. I’d have to dig through old chats or his profile to see if he ever mentioned it.” He sighed. “It’s not too far from where I am, maybe a few hours’ drive. In a case like this, I’d go check on him, but I’d hate to spend my weekend away from the game…”
William’s eyes narrowed with concern. “I don’t like it. Can we at least keep an eye out for him in the meantime?”
Zero nodded his head. “I’ll try contacting his university later, see if they can send someone to check on him. That should cover our bases.”
Storm grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Knowing SuperNova, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s halfway through some secret storyline we haven’t even heard of yet.”
The group chuckled at the thought. Still, they couldn’t ignore the fact that they were a player short for the mission.
“Alright,” William said, getting back on track. “We need a substitute for this mission, and we need them fast. Any suggestions?”
“Please be a female player! Our party sorely lacks a pretty female player as our healer!” Storm declared with exaggerated enthusiasm, seeming to have already forgotten the topic of their missing comrade.
“Can’t say I disagree,” Zero added with a smirk.
“Same here,” Mike chimed in, grinning.
“Brother, you really know what I’m thinking. Hehe.” William nudged at Storm.
With that, they turned their attention to the official website forum, drafting a recruitment post for a temporary fifth member. They detailed the mission’s requirements, the party’s strengths, and their preference for someone skilled in support roles.
Despite this, they were silently hoping their missing friend would show up soon, and their party would be whole again.
***
On the other side of the academy, Sean’s group stirred up a commotion. Unlike Prominence and his party, who had dived straight into the expansion missions, Sean’s party had their sights set on something else: the new ranking system — something that Prominence and his party members had forgotten about.
Opening the Hall of Fame, a prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Player Overall Ranking: 3]
[Do you want to publicize your rank on the Hall of Fame?]
[Y/N]
“Well, well, who would have thought that I’d be third on the overall ranking,” Sean murmured, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he scrolled through the list.
The rankings were mostly empty for now, as it appeared that players had the option to keep their positions private, and they were all just logged in. Sean, despite his reputation as a popular game reviewer, was cautious by nature, so he decided to hide his rank.
He tapped [N] with little hesitation. “No need to draw unnecessary attention just yet,” he mused.
Sean’s caution wasn’t without reason. Unlike the first or second batch of players, who had joined the game early, he’d entered a month later. Even so, he had climbed the ranks quickly, thanks to the Magus inheritance he gained at the Steelrose Order Stronghold dungeon. Although he had shared a lot of this on the forum, he preferred to keep his edge hidden, at least for now.
The same, however, couldn’t be said for his party members.
“I’m second, haha!” Butterfly let out a delighted squeal. “Give me a month, and the top spot will be mine!”
Unlike Sean, she had no qualms about publicizing her rank for all to see. Well, she was a Bloodline Magus, after all, and the first and strongest one so far. Her position as the number two was only natural, and people wouldn’t question her prowess.
As for who was the first, Sean was pretty sure that it was none other than Prominence. He was among the first batch of players — one of the earliest players to join the game — and had the best mana aptitude among the first batch, being the closest to reaching the third stage of Initiate Attunement. Nevertheless, he believed that Prominence’s momentum would be surpassed by both him and Butterfly soon enough.
With the top three covered, that left the lower spots.
“Man, I’m ranked twelfth on the overall ranking…” Chicken scratched his head in disappointment. “I thought I was doing better than that.” Despite having a dual class of Magus and Ki-Warrior, Chicken was only ranked twelfth. Although it was still very high, it paled in comparison to Sean’s and Butterfly’s ranks. Perhaps treading two paths at the same time wasn’t the most efficient way to get stronger in this game.
“Twelfth is good. I’m only fourteenth,” Patrick said, offering a supportive smile. “As a professional theatrical magician, I’ve always focused on illusions and tricks, not raw power. Guess that only takes me so far in this game. What about you, Scarlet?”
“Fifteenth,” Scarlet replied quietly, her arms crossed. “I’ll climb higher soon enough.”
With even the lowest-ranked member of their group sitting comfortably in the top fifteen, they practically controlled the top rankings in the game — their collective strength was undeniable.
“Dude, what’s your ranking?” Chicken asked, slapping a hand on Sean’s shoulder with a teasing grin. “Don’t worry, man. You don’t have to be embarrassed if it’s lower than mine. Hahaha!”
Sean rolled his eyes, but before he could respond with a sarcastic comeback, a familiar figure strode into view, commanding immediate attention. Auralise, flanked by several members of her group, including Dominique and Satellite, moved with her usual regal confidence. Her piercing gaze swept over the group before settling on the holographic ranking board.
“Look what have we here?” Auralise gave a smug smile, lifting her sunglasses while overdressed as always. “If it isn’t the red brute and her merry band of misfits.”
