Noir had been grinding for hours, locked in combat with the Cursed Humans deep in the Forest of Seldom. These zombies weren't your typical mindless slowpokes—they were aggressive, swift, and freakishly resilient. Their blue name tags hovered ominously above their decayed bodies.
Clack clack clack.
The rustle of broken armor and exposed bone echoed as three of them crawled out from behind the dense underbrush. Noir clenched his new dagger and crouched low.
"Let's see if I got the hang of this," he muttered.
He dashed forward, engaging the first zombie with a clean slash across the torso. But the creature staggered back, groaning, and came lunging in again.
Thwack!
Its arm swiped across Noir's side, sending him skidding across the grass. Pain pulsed through his ribs—not deadly, but enough to remind him this was no joke.
"Damn… they don't go down easy."
Two more closed in. Noir leapt to the side and activated his skill.
"Critical Dash Slash!"
A surge of speed exploded beneath his feet—he blurred, cutting through the air like lightning. His dagger sliced six times in an instant, each strike landing with deadly precision. One of the zombies let out a shriek as its head flew off, disintegrating into pixels.
But the last zombie grabbed his leg mid-dash.
"Shit—!"
He twisted and slammed his blade into its eye socket. Blood splattered. Noir kicked it off and backflipped to create distance, panting.
"Three down… but they're getting smarter. Or I'm getting reckless."
Suddenly, more shuffles.
Grrrghh…
Five more Cursed Humans emerged from the shadows, some wielding rusty weapons, others crawling like animals.
"Alright, fine—let's dance!"
Noir dashed sideways, weaving through their swings. He timed a perfect counter, slashing two at once, spinning mid-air, landing with a hard stomp and plunging his blade through the skull of another. The fifth one bit into his arm before he could react, and he let out a sharp grunt.
"You wanna eat me? Here—chew on this!"
With a spin and a roar, he stabbed the dagger into its throat and twisted.
Moments later, the clearing fell silent. Bodies dissolved, and Noir dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
"Three hours… of this? And still only at 16% XP?"
He wiped blood from his cheek and finally stood, shaking off the fatigue.
"Alright… I think I should log out. Time for work."
—
The capsule opened with a hiss, and Lukas pulled himself out, drenched in sweat. He looked around his dim apartment, then at his hands.
"What the hell… that was real. Like—on god, it felt amazing."
He chuckled, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged it.
"I'm not even mad that I'm tired. That was sick."
His phone buzzed violently on the desk. Lukas grabbed it and saw the Kupalords group chat lighting up.
[Karl]: Broooo! This game is INSANE.
[JP]: I got a drop from a mini-boss! Let's gooo!
[Erik]: We're running dungeons later. Who's in?
[Karl]: Lukas! Yo, you even playing?
[JP]: Fr, we haven't seen you online.
[Erik]: What's your IGN, man?
Lukas smirked. He typed slowly.
[Lukas]: Game's nuts. Legit. Can't believe how real it feels.
[JP]: Wait so you're in??? What's your IGN??
[Karl]: Don't tell me you went solo 😭
[Lukas]: Yeah. Been solo.
[Kurt]: Damn bro… secretive as always.
[Migs]: SUS. But alright 😂 respect
Lukas laughed and locked his phone.
He changed clothes and stepped outside. Morning heat hit him. While walking to work, he passed a group of teens talking loudly.
"Did you hear about that guy 'Fake'? Number 1 on the server already!"
"He solo'd a red-ranked boss, I swear!"
Lukas slowed down a bit. The name caught his attention, but he kept walking.
"Fake, huh…"
On the way, he scrolled through his phone and saw a viral article.
"Players Earning Real Money from Upraised?"
"No way… is this for real?"
Dozens of reposts and screenshots. In-game items being sold. Guilds forming to farm gold. Even streamers getting tipped just for gameplay.
He kept reading, already feeling his pulse quicken.
"So this might be more than just fun…"
He locked his phone.
"Let's survive work first."
And with that, Lukas shoved his phone into his pocket and marched on, his mind racing—not with thoughts of groceries or customers—but with mobs, daggers, EXP, and a growing hunger for more.
At Evelyn-7, Lukas was behind the register scanning snacks and groceries. The store was quiet until a group of three teens came in, giggling and talking loudly.
"Dude, I swear we'll clear it this time. Just dodge his third phase."
"You always say that then you die to the AoE blast."
"Yo, this is the run. That 10% drop rate, man. We need that sword.
They dropped instant noodles and drinks on the counter. Lukas started scanning, half-distracted, when one of them said something that made him pause.
"It's called the Labyrinth of Ash. The boss is named Apollo—violet-tagged, bro. It's insane."
That name.
Another violet-tagged enemy, just like the spider from before. Lukas tried to stay cool, but his grip on the scanner tightened slightly.
He finished the transaction, handed the receipt, and nodded. "Enjoy your game."
As they walked off, laughing and joking about dungeon plans, Lukas couldn't help but smirk.
"Violet-tagged Apollo… huh. Guess I'm not the only one chasing hell."
After work, Lukas was still deep in thought about Upraised. Every corner of his mind echoed with the clashing steel, the thrill of close calls, the heartbeat-pounding fights. He was completely hooked.
As he walked the dim streets toward his apartment, the sounds of the city faded into the background. He pulled out his phone, opened his browser, and typed:
"Karkaskhan Upraised Boss drop rate."
Nothing.
Not a single article. No posts, no drops listed, not even an image. It was as if the boss he fought didn't exist. Lukas squinted, refreshed the page, checked forums, scrolled through the trending game blogs.
Still nothing.
"…No f*cking way," he muttered to himself. "Did I find something no one else has?"
That realization sent a chill down his spine—excitement wrapped in mystery. Now he had to beat that spider bastard. The thought of being the first player to defeat and reveal Karkaskhan's loot had him itching to dive back in.
Curious now, Lukas switched tabs and searched for the current leaderboard. The game's official site had a ranking list posted. His eyes widened as the Top 5 names appeared:
Top 1 – Fake (Lv. 13, Swordmaster Class)
Top 2 – Earthquake (Lv. 12, Bagi Class)
Top 3 – Polo (Lv. 12, Assassin Class)
Top 4 – Hansel1 (Lv. 12, Pagan Class)
Top 5 – PufferFish (Lv. 11, Arbalest Class)
"Damn… they're flying through levels," he whispered.
That name at the top—Fake—stood out to him again. First, he heard it from the guys in the convenience store. Now this? Whoever this player was, they were clearly a big deal.
Lukas locked his phone and took a deep breath.
"Tomorrow, I'm logging in early," he said, a grin slowly forming. "Time to get serious."