Liam had already crossed past the last row of houses and was halfway to the forest when something yanked him backward.
His entire body jerked as a hand grabbed the back of his oversized armour and pulled.
"Wait there, young Liam."
Liam stopped, wondering if it was better to listen or keep moving.
He turned.
Spring stood behind him, slightly out of breath but smiling like nothing was urgent. He was a shorter man, barely reaching five feet nine, with a thicker build that suggested he had lived well before all of this. His cheeks were rosy, his beard long and uneven, and there was something about him that felt warm and irritating at the same time.
"You should take a quest before running out there," Spring said, still holding onto his armour like Liam might try to escape again. "And I see you've gotten your chickens."
Liam stared at him, trying to guess what Spring wanted.
Spring chuckled, letting go. "Thanks for not taking all of them. Frogs not to your liking?" He laughed properly this time.
A notification appeared.
Affinity with NPC Spring increased to 100%
+1,000 EXP granted
Liam blinked, unsure if he deserved the experience.
["…what?"] he typed.
*DING*
He levelled up.
His panel opened immediately.
[Tool Tip]
[Every 5 levels ≈ +100 cap]
[Every 10 levels ≈ +200 cap]
[+20 stat points per level]
Level: 2
NAME: Little Liam
CLASS: Vanguard
SKILLS: Basic Cooking, Noob Streamer
TALENT: Absorption Level 1 (4 / 1000)
HP: 100 / 100
STAMINA: 100 / 100
DEFENSE: 35 / 100
ATTACK: 30 / 100
SPEED: 15 / 100
EXP: 50 / 1000
Liam stared at it for a second, debating which stat would help most.
He had the chicken soup recipe.
He didn't need defence right now.
"…attack."
He allocated all twenty points.
ATTACK: 50 / 100
[The skill panel has been updated.]
HP: 100 / 100
STAMINA: 100 / 100
DEFENSE: 35 / 100
ATTACK: 50 / 100
SPEED: 15 / 100
EXP: 50 / 1000
Spring laughed loudly. "Straight into the battle, eh? You'll either do well or regret that."
Liam didn't answer. He was still looking toward the forest. Still thinking about what he saw. Still—hungry.
Spring clapped his hands once. "Now, before you go charging off, I've got something for you."
[Quest Available.]
Spring leaned slightly closer. "Go find a party and take down fifty rabbit toads. Bring me the returns, and you can keep the meat."
Liam accepted without hesitation.
[…what's a rabbit toad?]
Spring just smiled.
Liam looked at the forest one more time, his body angled toward it like he might ignore everything and just go anyway. Dread prickled at his skin, and whatever had moved out there haunted his thoughts, a persistent ache lingering in his chest. His mouth still watered slightly; the hunger behind it knotted with fear, making him hesitate. Only then did he exhale, shoulders tense, turning his back on it and forcing himself to walk toward the centre of town.
The marketplace was louder than before, NPCs calling out from stalls as players moved in groups. At the centre, the large community board served as the hub for structured activities. It was easy to tell who was who: players had their class floating above their heads in clean text, while NPCs moved with purpose but without that extra layer. The effect was strange, as if two different worlds overlapped in the same space.
Liam slowed near one of the stalls, his stomach twisting as he opened his inventory. Four dead chickens sat inside, a stark reminder of his earlier struggles. He also had fifty silver coins, their weight in his pocket feeling oddly hollow.
'Guess that's the starting silver,' Liam thought, feeling uncertain about what it meant.
He set a chicken on the counter. The stall owner, a large woman with thick arms and a practical look, inspected it, nodded, then eyed the remaining chickens.
"Not that one," she said, pointing at the one with the bite mark. "I'm not buying something you've already chewed on."
Liam looked at it, then nodded. A quiet embarrassment tightened his jaw. Understandable.
The transaction went through, and his silver increased.
+15 Silver
At the next stall, Liam quickly chose a cooking starter kit. Knife, pot, basic utensils. Nothing special, but it felt right.
"Sixty silver," the vendor said.
Liam paid immediately.
He now had little left in his inventory.
Silver: 5
The kit went into his inventory, and he adjusted his stance slightly, feeling a faint relief settle over him now that he had something to work with.
With his new supplies secured, Liam headed for the board.
Several groups were already listed, with overlapping requests, indicating that most people were trying to form parties quickly before heading out. Liam scanned through them until one caught his attention.
Party of two.
Rogue and Healer. Looking for the front line.
Grinding mobs in Tana Forest.
That was enough. Hope flickered through his nerves.
Liam selected it and joined.
A notification confirmed it.
[Party Joined.]
He opened the chat and typed.
[Hello]
Rogue: "…you mute?"
Liam nodded instinctively, a flicker of frustration crossing his face when he realised that it didn't translate. He typed again, feeling the weight of misunderstanding linger.
[Yes]
Mirra: "Do you know how to play front line?"
Liam looked down at himself. Oversized armour. Shield. Sword.
Then he typed.
[I think so]
There was a short silence after that, anxiety clawing at Liam's resolve.
Rogue: "That's not confidence-inspiring."
Mirra: "We just need someone to hold aggro and not die."
Liam read that, then looked at his stats. High defense. Decent attack now. Thirty seconds of invincibility if needed.
He typed again.
[I won't die]
Rogue: "…okay."
Mirra: "Meet at the forest entrance."
Liam closed the panel, pulse quickening as nerves bubbled just beneath his calm. Finished with preparations, Liam's gaze shifted back toward the forest.
That same direction and that same pull, and this time he wasn't going alone. Liam glanced toward the forest, then frowned slightly as a thought crossed his mind. Spring had asked for frogs, and rabbit toads were at least half frog, so that probably counted. He nodded to himself, deciding that made enough sense. If it didn't count, then he would just keep going until it did, and if that still didn't work, he could always eat more of them until something eventually registered.