Rayshire was the opening city of the Ray Dragon event. I spawned at the end of the tunnel in the volcano that separated the event from the regular game. On this side, the humongous volcano appeared more like a gigantic wall spanning well into the sky.

  A few players were climbing down, having crossed the volcano from above. Nothing stopped players from entering the event grounds in whatever fashion they liked.

  Ahead, the city spanned a few miles ahead, and the buildings only got taller the further I looked. Spires, large halls, taverns, blacksmiths, merchants, cosmetics shops. There were no tenements—Rayshire was very much an MMO city designed for players, and thus, it didn’t need to be filled with apartments and other unnecessary buildings. Instead, there were a lot of open spaces and plazas for players to occupy.

  The buildings themselves weren’t quite archaic—they were too shiny and beautiful for that word to apply—but they were far from modern. There were gloomy gothic style cathedrals, and each palace had art in just about every wall. Mostly, however, the atmosphere came from the misty air: tinted orange to offer the dark buildings an ominous atmosphere.

  Strangely, the mist didn’t shroud details for my eyes. Buildings and figures were perfectly clear, as if the mist wasn’t there. The sensation was odd to the eyes and difficult to describe. Everything looked ominous thanks to the mist, but with my improved eyesight in virtual reality, I could still make out details with clarity. The best example of the effect came from the stone statue of the Ray Dragon, which shone high atop the city wall itself.

  The hundreds of players and NPCs in the city were also perfectly clear. The plaza before me was already packed with people—and I mean high level players, many of whom I recognized from the top five hundred list. I already saw more epic gear pieces than I could count. Nobody wielded anything less than rare items.

  I was probably the lowest level player here. Thankfully, I still looked the part since my cloak was genuinely a cool item, and unique. The bow and circlet still looked goofy as hell. I took them off and placed them into my inventory, now that I was in a safe location.

  “Yo, isn’t that ‘the’ Assassin?” someone near me said. He spoke to his friend, but loudly enough that I could hear.

  Feeling my gaze, he smiled and walked over. “Hey, man, aren’t you the guy who just fucking destroyed Mythforged?”

  His player tag read, [GetInMySwamp] YoungMaster123. He was a fighter with a large longsword, and he looked to be a little older than me. His gear was mostly rare with a few epics. I’d guess he was around level 220. He would be a decent kill, but I’d never heard of him. He wasn’t in the top five hundred.

  “Maybe,” I responded, and thought, So someone recorded that to the forums as well…

  “What, is he famous?” his friend, [Cupcake Crew] Tristamn asked. He was a support mage of a similar level. I paused, seeing his guild tag. He was from Evelyn’s guild.

  “He’s the guy that killed Fuhad in that clip,” YoungMaster said.

  Tristan lifted his eyebrows. He stared at me before asking, “Yo, who was that mage player? She was crazy hot.”

  I shrugged. “She’s crazy for sure.”

  I didn’t know what else to say, so I began walking toward the auction house. My step was confident, and YoungMaster followed me right away.

  “Did you die after that clip?” YoungMaster asked. “Any cool drops?”

  He wasn’t aware of the dagger in my belt, it seemed. It would be good not to show it off, or I’d probably be hunted by other assassins like me. Instead, I showed him the circlet and the bow and said, “Nothing too crazy. Just a flimsy bow.”

  YoungMaster blinked at me. “A Great Elf’s Bow and you call it flimsy? Isn’t that best in slot for archers, excluding uniques and legendaries?”

  “It’s a budget bow these days,” I said. “The Archon’s Ranger is much better in almost every regard. But this one might sell for a thousand gold. Anyway, nice meeting you. I’m busy.”

  I activated [Stealth], hiding my character. Inside a city, the restrictions on [Stealth] were lifted, and I turned invisible for even top players. The skill removed my presence from other players completely, though it also silenced other players’ conversation from me, so that I couldn’t abuse the power to eavesdrop. Cities in the game were treated as complete safe zones. Players were supposed to feel secure.

  I entered the auction house, which resembled a medieval countinghouse. The far wall was lined with dozens of booths, all with NPCs waiting. I picked a man with floppy dog ears, who was smoking a pipe. Sam (NPC, Salesman, Level 95).

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  “What’cha want?” he grumbled. “Come here to beg?”

  [Warning, this NPC uses vulgar and offensive language. Proceed with caution.]

  I grinned at that. “No, Sam, it’s me,” I said. “I’ve got more loot for you.”

  I handed him the three items I wanted to sell. Bonering, Great Elf’s Bow, and Enna’s Holy Circlet.

  “What the fuck?” Sam blurted out as he saw the circlet. The pipe fell out of his mouth. “Did you rob a goddess?”

  “Nah, I just beat up one of their paladins.”

  “Good,” Sam said. “Those paladin shitheads tried to rip me off earlier. This is Enna’s Holy Circlet, right? I’ll buy it for a hundred gold right now.” He slammed a coin pouch on the table.

  I snorted. “No, it’s going to the auction. What are its listings looking like?”

  Sam frowned. “I see. No luck for me.” He began looking at the listings. “It has been sold twice. Once for four thousand gold five months ago, and again for three thousand a month ago.”

  So much? I thought. Wow.

  “Alright, I’m placing it into auction,” I said, speaking with clear words so that Sam wouldn’t make mistakes. “Minimum bid, 2500 gold. Instant buy, 6000 gold. Sell to the highest bidder in five days.”

  Sam grumbled and repeated what I’d just said. I confirmed it, and the item went into the auction listings. With the process done, Sam asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have Enna’s panties as well?”

  “No, but I’ve got this bow and this ring.”

  Sam scowled at the bow. “Ah, some elven shit. Yeah, this is fucking trash. I’ll buy it for ten gold.”

  “It’s going to the auction, Sam.”

  He gave me a poker face. “I need it, man. I have kids. Fifteen gold.”

  “Didn’t you say you tossed your kid into a barrel of wine last time?” I asked.

  “He’s still in there,” Sam said. “Strong little shit, that one. He’ll beat the breath holding record for sure. He’s been at it for three weeks now.”

  I blinked. “Okayyy, so what are the listings for the bow?”

  “There are currently four listed. The lowest sells instantly for 1500 gold, and the highest for 9000 gold. The highest bid is 1223 gold.”

  I nodded. “Put my lowest bid at 1200 gold. Sell instantly for 2000 gold. Sell to the highest bidder in three days.”

  I put it at a high price, meaning there was a chance the bow wouldn’t sell, in which case I would just need to list it again. But Great Elf’s Bow was a popular item, so it would probably move fast.

  The last item was Bonering, which Sam threatened to shove up his ass if I didn’t sell it to him directly. I told him to place it in the auction with the starting bid at 300 gold, instant sale at 1000 gold, and the highest bidder in seven days.

  With that, I left the auction house. I didn’t sell Cursed Lichfang. It was my best dagger, and I would keep using it. I just needed to reach the level requirement.

  Outside, I spotted Youngmaster and Tristamn waiting for someone. I undid [Stealth] and tapped Tristamn on the shoulder, making him flinch.

  “You’re an elder at your guild, right?” I said. “Invite me to the Cupcake Crew. Eve should have told you the situation. I’ll join your next raid.”

  Tristamn gave me an awkward look. “Uh, from my understanding, Boss said you’re not invited.”

  “Oh, really?” I asked, and I unsheathed my legendary dagger. I showed it to him clearly. “Even though all of you have seen my skills? And even though I have the equipment?”

  He bit his lip. “Let me ask him again.”

  He opened the system menu and wrote a message. I saw his system menu, but the chat was blurred, so I couldn’t eavesdrop. He looked nervous as he sent multiple messages. It took him a full two minutes before he turned back to me.

  “Okay, sure,” he said, but he wasn’t smiling. “Boss said you can join. Only for this one raid. We’ll see if you’re any good against monsters.”

  [You have been invited to join Cupcake Crew.]

  “Thank you,” I said, and I accepted the invitation.

  Now, I thought, studying Tristamn’s expression. Is that the face of a man who wants me as an honest team-mate, or does he just want to kill me for a chance to earn ten grand?

  I’d played Wonderwind long enough to know it was most certainly the latter. Eve and I knew each other in real life, which would possibly make me more trustworthy, but still, the Cupcake Crew wouldn’t give a rat’s ass. Eve herself was also a Wonderwind player. She was more attracted to legendary items than me as a person.

  That was entirely fine by me. If I was betrayed, I could probably kill Eve’s boyfriend before making an escape with his gear.

  But what if I fought their whole guild? I thought. Killing everyone could grant me ten levels.

  No, I was thinking ahead of myself. The Cupcake Crew hadn’t betrayed me yet. However… if I fought them with Veyra, I was certain we could wipe the whole guild together.

  I sighed. Why am I still thinking about her? She was just another betrayer. Dreaming about fighting with her is useless.

  But then again, I had always been a dreamer. “You miss 100% of the chances you don’t take,” or whatever that saying was.

  I opened up the system menu, and I sent Veyra’s account a friend request along with a quick message.

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