Charlotte stood there, half in awe, half in disbelief, watching Glimmerfen lose its mind in celebration.

Confetti made from ripped noble banners flew across the square; laughter and freedom mixed in the air like music.

"What should I even do now…" she murmured, voice small against the noise.

"Why don't you record stuff here and deliver it to the people?" Ahrie muttered, arms crossed.

"Ohhh damn—like some news reporter or somethin'," Min added, snapping his fingers.

Exactly!" Ahrie pointed at him. "That way, both your reputation and that weird debuff shit of yours stay in check."

Charlotte blinked… then smiled. "That's actually—yea, that's a great plan."

The people around them were chanting, laughing, cheering.

Word spread fast—

Ahrie, Min, and Charlotte—the heroes who exposed Glimmerfen's corruption!

"Heroes?" Min frowned.

"Us?" Ahrie squinted.

Before they could react, the crowd swarmed.

Dozens of hands patting them, shaking them, shouting thanks.

"Get off me, you old bastard!"

"ARGHHH!"

Ahrie and Min pushed through, running for their lives as the mob chased, still cheering.

"FUCK OFF!" Ahrie yelled, flipping them off with both hands.

The crowd just laughed harder.

Even after sprinting through alleys and side streets—they couldn't escape the chaos.

"Argh! We can't live like this!" Min panted.

"How about we leave?"

"Oh, good idea."

They returned to the inn and found their carriage waiting out front

Ahrie grinned wide. "Finally, some peace."

They hopped into the carriage, both of them hyped up

Ahrie raised his rapier high. "Let the adventures begin—!"

…

The horse neighed, dug its hooves into the dirt—

and didn't move.

Not an inch.

It tried again. Muscles trembling. Wheels creaked. Nothing.

Ahrie and Min slowly looked at each other.

Then, together—

"FUCKING USELESS HORSE!"

The horse let out a desperate, offended neigh, as if saying, bro, I'm trying my best!

Ahrie jumped down and patted the carriage like a disappointed dad. "Alright, fine. Guess we're walking."

He grabbed the reins.

"Get ready, your hell training starts now."

"Neigh!" the horse cried again—tired, dramatic, and 100% done with their bullshit.

They arrived at Glimmerfen's North Gate.

The guards on duty straightened the moment they saw them.

"HOOOLD ON FOR A BIIIT!" one of them shouted, waving his arms.

Ahrie and Min froze mid-step.

The guard jogged up, squinting at their nearly empty carriage.

"You're leaving?" he asked, checking inside. "You don't even have much stuff with you."

"We don't need any," Min shrugged.

"That won't do, sir…" the guard muttered—then suddenly turned toward the town.

"OIII! THE HEROES ARE LEAVING!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Eh—!?" Ahrie and Min's eyes went wide. "The hell are you doin', bud!?"

But it was too late.

The news spread like wildfire through the streets.

"Heroes? They're leaving!?"

"What—no way!"

"Quick, bring them something!"

One by one, people started running their way—arms full of supplies.

Food. Tools. Pouches. Potions.

The whole town moved like a wave toward the gate.

Ahrie sighed, watching the chaos approach.

"Here we go again…"

Ahrie and Min bolted, trying to outrun the flood of people.

"Fuuuck—move, move, move!" Ahrie shouted.

Their horse—doing its absolute best—was barely managing to pull the carriage.

"Come on, you damn horse!" Min yelled.

The wheels screeched. The carriage wobbled.

Ahrie and Min returned back and started pushing from behind.

"Faster!"

"Waiiiit upppp!"

That was the last voice they heard from Glimmerfen as they vanished down the dirt road.

Half an hour later, they finally stopped in the middle of the woods—panting, drenched in sweat.

The forest was quiet except for the sound of the wind and their dying lungs.

"Where to now?" Min asked, wiping his forehead. "Embergarde?"

Ahrie looked at him with a crooked grin.

"Fuck no. You trying to die early?"

Ahrie began doing… that.

The old way of choosing direction.

Pure. Randomness.

He spun around, pointed somewhere.

"Eh? Looks like we're heading that way, Min."

Min shrugged. "Sure, why not."

They wandered off—no map, no plan.

Scavenging for food as they went.

"Oii, look at this berry," Min said, crouching. "It's so vibrant."

"Ohh yeah, looks tasty," Ahrie leaned closer.

They were about to pick one—

when a group of Seekers showed up first.

They stared at Ahrie and Min, smirking.

Then started teasing—grabbing all the berries for themselves.

One cocky bastard even popped a berry in his mouth.

And then—

he collapsed.

Dead.

Instantly.

"Oiii! What the hell?!" The others panicked, shaking him. No response.

Ahrie and Min just stood there.

Then started laughing.

"Special delivery—karma," Ahrie snorted.

"HAHAHAHA HAAAAAA~" Min howled as they walked off.

"We almost ate those too…" Ahrie sighed.

"Rule number one," Min said. "Don't pick anything."

They went hunting for food.

After a bit of walking, they found a small river stream.

Something swam beneath the surface.

"That fish looks tasty," Ahrie said, already halfway to unsheathing his rapier.

Min crouched nearby, gathering sticks. "I'll start the fire—"

But then—

a Hopper hopped to the riverbank, lowering its head to drink.

The fish slowly drifted closer… closer…

Then it lifted its head out of the water—

took a deep gulp of air—

and its body began to swell.

Larger.

Larger.

Until—

CHOMP.

It devoured the Hopper whole.

Ahrie and Min froze.

"…Aren't you hungry?" Ahrie muttered.

"No, bro," Min said, backing away. "I'll pass on this one."

Days turn into nights.

Grasslands, woods, repeat.

They'd been walking for what felt like forever with barely any rest.

"Goddamn… how long does it take to reach another town?" Ahrie groaned.

"Are you even sure we're still in the same kingdom?" Min asked.

CRACK!

The ground gave way—both of them fell straight into an old underground ruin.

They hit the floor hard.

"Arghhh—my back!" Min whined.

"Dude, you landed face-first."

Min rubbed his cheek. "Ow… oh, you're right."

"Wanna fix it?" Ahrie grinned.

"Potion, yes. Your fist? Hell no."

They scanned the dim ruins.

Their horse was lying on its side, groaning dramatically—behind it, the carriage lay shattered to pieces.

"NOOO!" Ahrie and Min rushed over.

The horse wheezed weakly, clearly faking it.

Finally, they see my worth, it probably thought. Yes… serve me we—

WHAM!

Ahrie and Min shoved it aside and went straight for the wrecked carriage.

"Nooooo! We haven't even properly traveled with you yeet!"

Ahrie dropped to his knees, gathering splintered wood and busted wheels like he could fix it.

He jammed a few parts together, muttering, "Come on… come on…"

Then raised his hand—

[P.A.I.N.]

Nothing.

"Are you high or something?" Min laughed.

"Eh? Worth a try!" Ahrie shrugged.

"Rip Carriage-san…" a girl's voice came from the corner.

They turned.

A girl sat casually by the wall, sipping tea from an actual cup.

"What the— who are you?" Ahrie asked.

She blinked, then squinted. "Wait… why the hell are there a bunch of camera-kuns following you guys?"

She waved at them.

The invisible cameramen froze—then one of them visibly trembled.

Ahrie, Min, and even the horse glanced around, trying to spot whatever she was talking about.

Nothing.

They looked at each other.

"…Is she insane or something?" Ahrie muttered.

"There's definitely something wrong with her," Min added.

The horse nodded—dead serious.

Then suddenly—

the ground where they'd fallen began to shift.

The cracks slowly pulled themselves together, sealing shut like rewinding time.

"Eh…?" Ahrie blinked.

Darkness.

Then—one by one—the ores embedded in the walls began to glow, soft at first, then bright enough to light the ruins.

"What are these?" Min muttered, wandering closer. He flicked one of the glowing stones with his finger.

"NOOOO!" the girl screamed, covering her ears.

BOOM!

The stone exploded in a flash of light.

Min was thrown back but managed to roll away before it went off completely.

"Damnn… tch…" he groaned, clutching his back.

"That was a Diamrytrium, also known as a Mana Stone," the girl said, lowering her hands. "They're highly explosive because of the dense mana trapped inside them. Aren't your Ents teaching you anything?"

Ahrie and Min tilted their heads in perfect sync.

"Ents?"

"I feel like I've heard that before…"

The girl stared blankly. "…You guys are hopeless."

She sighed, then started explaining, like a teacher forced to tutor a rock.

"Upon reaching Level 2, your Guardian Ent can talk to you through your UI. You can ask them for advice, combat tips, skill readings—whatever. Just remember, if you die… they die too." She smiled faintly, sipping from her teacup again.

Ahrie blinked. "I see…"

"Seriously?" she reacted, eyes widening. "Don't tell me— you're both still Level 1?!"

"Yup," Ahrie said casually.

"I'm almost level 2," Min added, a little too defensively.

Kokoro's eyes widened. "Wait—you're serious? You're still—"

"Yup."

She blinked a few times, sighed, then straightened her posture dramatically.

"Anyway! I'm Kokoro Hanabira, level 2 Summoner!" She threw a wink, then struck three poses like she was being filmed from invisible camera angles.

Ahrie tilted his head. "Uh-huh… right."

"I'm Ahrie, healer."

"Min," he muttered, closing his eyes, "…tank."

Kokoro's attention suddenly shifted to a small lizard crawling along the wall.

Her whole face lit up. "Hiiiiii~! Wanna join my lineup of powerful creatures?"

A mechanical ERRRR!—like a wrong-answer buzzer—seemed to echo out of nowhere.

"I can make you much stronger than your current self!" she pleaded, clasping her hands together.

ERRR! again. She froze. "H-hey, that's rude…"

The lizard stared at her for a moment… then slowly tilted its head upward—and vanished into a crack.

"C'mon…" Kokoro bit the collar of her clothes in frustration.

Min grinned. "Why do you look so desperate, bud?"

"I dunno," she muttered. "Maybe if I befriend monsters, it'll increase my chance to summon something useful."

"What do you mean?" Ahrie asked, half-laughing.

Kokoro puffed her cheeks. "I haven't successfully summoned anything yet, hehe…"

Ahrie and Min burst out laughing.

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