Kael’s mood after dinner was complicated.

  Unlike most people, he was far more cautious when it came to matters of the heart, a trait forged in the crucible of his past life.

  Back then, his entry into the game had been a nightmare. The first year was a relentless cycle of betrayal, exclusion, and exploitation. Coming from a poor family, he struggled immensely, at one point unable to even afford his sister’s university tuition. To make matters worse, his abysmal -3 luck stat made his in-game experience a living hell.

  Everything changed in his second year when, by a stroke of fate, he completed his Class Advancement to become a Divine Archer. From that day on, his fortunes soared. He spent the next few years making a name for himself, but his past experiences had shaped him. He operated as a lone wolf, a Bounty Hunter for hire.

  That’s how he’d met Lila. She had hired him for a few assassination contracts, and an acquaintance was formed. For years, their relationship was strictly professional: employer and mercenary.

  But in the fourth year, the Whitmore family was shattered, completely absorbed by the Mordant family. The devastation of her family, coupled with her own personal tragedies—including losing her sight—transformed Lila’s personality.

  Perhaps because Kael saw a reflection of his own painful journey in hers, the two grew closer in the game. He even began to feel there was potential for something more and tried to get closer to her, only to be met with a firm, unequivocal rejection.

  After that, Lila threw herself into building Crimson Bloom, finally leading it to become one of the top 20 guilds in the galaxy by the eighth year.

  So yes, this time around, he had to be careful.

  Back in his room, Kael was about to log into the game when his phone buzzed with a video call from his sister.

  He answered, and Isolde’s face appeared, wrapped in a bathrobe, her dorm room visible in the background.

  “Isolde, why are you dressed so lightly?”

  “Bro, can you not start nagging the second you see me? You sound like such a dad,” she retorted, then her eyes widened as she took in his surroundings. “Whoa… where are you?”

  Kael didn’t try to hide it. He stood up and panned the phone around the spacious, luxurious room. “Just bought it. The new house. What do you think? Nice, right?”

  “Wow… it’s huge! That must have cost a fortune. Bro, where did you get that kind of money?”

  “I earned it, of course,” he said with a grin. “So, what’s up? Why the sudden call? Miss me?”

  “I have great news!” she announced, beaming. “I’m level 18!”

  Level 18?

  Kael paused for a second before realizing she was talking about Godpath. He remembered she was playing a Mage; he’d even seen a TikTok of her frying bunnies in the starting village. When her brother didn't immediately respond, Isolde’s face fell.

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  “Bro! I said I’m level 18!” she repeated, pouting.

  “Oh, right. That’s awesome.”

  Suddenly, she yelled, her voice cracking. “You’re such a jerk! A big, fat liar! I’m never talking to you again!”

  Kael was completely blindsided. Before he could ask what was wrong, the call ended with a definitive beep.

  He stood there, utterly baffled. He tried calling back, but she immediately declined the call. His mind churned, a nagging feeling that he’d forgotten something important, but he couldn’t place it.

  He opened TikTok for the first time in days and saw a flood of notifications, including a direct message.

  “Yo, you selling that [Hakkar's Signet of Celerity]?”

  Kael slapped his forehead. The ring. He’d promised her the Ascendant ring when she hit level 18. How could I have forgotten? No wonder she was furious.

  He shook his head with a small smile. That was Isolde. Never saying what she meant, always preferring to speak in riddles. He decided to let her cool off, setting his phone aside and heading into the bathroom for a shower.

  .....

  In the fields outside a place called Willow Creek, a party of five was grinding mobs.

  The group consisted of a level 22 Knight named TrueDream, a level 22 Monk named Aidan, a level 19 Priest named AzureSky, a level 20 Rogue named Zara, and a level 18 Mage named Sylvara.

  Sylvara was channeling all her frustration into a level 23 Black Bear.

  Fireball, Flame Burst, Firewall—she unleashed her entire arsenal, spamming spells as if mana was no object. She didn’t care about efficiency, single-target versus AoE, or anything else. Whatever was off cooldown, she used. Her mana bar quickly bottomed out.

  AzureSky, the Priest, put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don't be so mad. He just forgot, okay? I’m sure he’ll reach out.”

  Zara, the Rogue, scoffed. “Or maybe he just screenshotted someone else’s gear to mess with you. It’s not like you’ve actually seen it.”

  “Zara! Don’t say that!” AzureSky interjected.

  The Monk, Aidan, turned around. “She’s got a point. The game had only been out for a few days. How could anyone have gear that OP?”

  “I think it’s real,” the Knight, TrueDream, chimed in. “He’s Isolde’s brother. Why would he lie to her?”

  “It’s a level 18 Ascendant ring!” Aidan exclaimed.“Who here even has Ascendant gear? Forget about us—how many people in Willow Creek, or even Stormhold, actually own Ascendant gear?”

  “Exactly!” Zara added. “It’s not like her brother is Dawnbreaker or something.”

  “You guys…” AzureSky trailed off, exasperated. She was trying to comfort Isolde, but Aidan and Zara were making the atmosphere impossibly awkward.

  Isolde didn’t say a word, just continued blasting mobs with her basic attacks.

  Seeing this wasn't helping, AzureSky quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of Dawnbreaker, Crescent is really lucky to have him.”

  “No kidding!” Zara’s eyes lit up. “He cleared a level 10 dungeon on the first day, and now he’s opened up a level 25 one. I heard the EXP is insane and the drops are amazing.”

  Seeing Zara’s star-struck expression, Aidan soured. “What’s the big deal?” he said snidely. “He just got lucky. In terms of pure skill, he’s not better than me. Look, I’m already a rare class, a Monk. I’m just as good as he is!”

  Zara made a face at him. “Not even close.”

  “Hmph.” A wave of jealousy washed over Aidan, and he turned away, sulking.

  By now, Isolde’s anger had mostly subsided. She bit her lip and said softly, “I don’t expect my brother to be a legend like Dawnbreaker. I just… I wish I could get into Crimson Bloom.”

  AzureSky sighed. “What girl doesn’t?”

  “Yeah,” Zara agreed. “They’re the number one guild in the world, after all.”

  Aidan sneered. “What number one guild? Serpent’s Coil has the Sunfire Bell. They’re the real number one.”

  “Aidan, what is your problem?” Zara snapped. “Do you just have to argue with everything I say?”

  Seeing her genuinely angry, Aidan shut up.

  Just then, a 20-person team approached from the distance. They were high-level, all a uniform level 23. The leader stopped his group when he spotted them.

  “Well, well, look what we have here. If it isn’t our dear Isolde!” The leader, a player named Grimthorn, strode forward, heading straight for her.

  TrueDream immediately stepped in front of Isolde. “Preston! What do you want now?”

  CRACKLE!

  Suddenly, ten bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking TrueDream. His health bar vanished, and his body disintegrated in a flash of light, sent straight to the graveyard.