Arkanos City was big. I mean, not just big, but massive. It was carved from stone, built into a mountain that stretched high enough to touch the clouds. The whole place looked like a fortress turned into a city, with four enormous levels stacked upward. Each level wrapped around the mountain, covered in glowing runes, with narrow bridges linking one ring to the next.
At the bottom, the lowest level was crowded and loud. Markets filled the streets, packed with stone and wooden stalls. You could hear hammers on metal, steam from forges, and merchants shouting prices. Smoke, spices, and cooked meat thickened the air. Adventurers wandered between shops, armor clinking, faces lit by magic lanterns.
Higher up, the second and third levels were cleaner and calmer. Gardens lined the terraces, their plants glowing softly. Water flowed through carved channels, spilling into open pools. Trains of light carried supplies and travelers between the rings.
At the very top was the Crown. It held the tallest towers, the great halls, and waterfalls that spilled down the mountain like silver threads. From there, you could see the entire city glowing against the cliffs below.
Arkanos City felt ancient but alive, like it had been growing upward for centuries and still wasn't finished.
And there I was, Level fifteen, walking through Arkanos City's massive stone gate, still wearing gear that smelled faintly of ogre sweat. Beside me, Lars was losing his mind over a glowing cube of floating jelly he had just looted from a cube monster, a level two violet-colored blob you could find in any grassy field.
"This is Slime Berry gelatin!" he gasped, eyes wide like a kid in a candy store. "It boosts mana regen for fifty minutes. Do you know how rare this is?!"
I nodded. "Of course. Definitely," I said.
He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Are you being sarcastic, or do you want me to beat you up?"
I laughed. We laughed.
We explored the lower part of the city where the dungeon gate had appeared. The first stop was the street food bazaar. The area was packed with small wooden stalls lined up side by side, smoke rising from grills and steam drifting into the air. Vendors called out to passing customers while food sizzled and crackled.
There were all kinds of dishes: roasted griffin leg, scoops of slime ice cream that jiggled in their bowls, honeycomb pasta dripping with sauce, snake barbecue skewers turning over open flames, and spicy fried mushroom sticks stacked high in paper trays. Each one costs just a single ether.
"O-OY! A GRIFFIN LEG MEAT!" Lars shouted, pointing excitedly at one of the stalls. "People said they are extremely good!"
I smiled at him. "Do you want to buy one?"
Lars closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "That is the problem… I don't have any money…"
He looked at me hopefully. "Do you maybe have extra—"
Before he could finish, I vanished from his side and reappeared in front of the stall. I placed an ether on the counter and took a freshly roasted griffin leg wrapped in paper.
When I came back, Lars was staring at me with his mouth open, still holding his cup of slime berry gelatin. "You just did that like magic."
"Absolutely," I said, taking a bite of the hot, juicy griffin leg.
Then we noticed a small stall where a magician had just turned a plain potato into a white pigeon. One second, he was holding a dusty brown potato, and the next, a bird flapped out of his hands and flew up into the air.
Lars stopped right in front of the stall. "How in the world is that even possible?!" he said, practically bouncing in place.
A few minutes later, we reached a narrow alley beside the last stall of the street food bazaar. It was darker than the rest of the street, with tall walls on both sides blocking the light. The noise from the market faded behind us. Fewer people walked that way. I had heard rumors that a black market operated there, run by players who chose to become merchants so they wouldn't have to risk dying in the game.
I felt Lars lightly grip my arm. Just enough for me to notice.
"H-Hey… I think we should find a place to rest and not go in there…" he whispered.
"Yeah, let's do that. I'm a bit tired too, and that place looks kind of sketchy," I said.
We found a simple stone bench a short distance away and sat down. As I checked my map, a new pin appeared, clearly marked.
Lars was almost finished with his slime berry gelatin when he looked at me. "We heading in now? The dungeon's still active. The loot boost might still be up."
I glanced skyward. Floating golden notifications drifted lazily:
[DUNGEON]: [Shallow Chambers]
[Status]: [Uncleared]
[Reward Boost]: [Active — 1 Day Remaining]
[Players Lost]: [519]
"Yeah," I said in a sarcastic tone. "Not terrifying at all."
I stood, brushing crumbs off my tunic. "We'll go. But first... one more stop."
Lars raised an eyebrow. "Another food stall?"
"No," I said, smirking. "There was something I heard about in a nearby secret alley. A place called the Archivist's Gate. Supposed to be a hidden library that contained lost lore, or maybe... secret skills."
The Archivist's Gate was the new pin labeled on my map.
He perked up immediately. "Now, that sounds like a side quest!"
We pushed through the city's lower rings, carefully weaving between crowds of shouting adventurers, potion vendors, and those eerie robed NPCs. Lars bumped into a merchant and quickly muttered an apology, his face turning bright red. I ducked under a floating lantern as it swung low, narrowly avoiding a smack to the head. Every step felt like a small battle just to keep from getting lost in the chaos.
"Creepy…" Lars whispered, eyes flicking nervously toward a hooded NPC whose skin looked decayed.
Eventually, tucked behind a vine-covered archway and a rusted sigil that pulsed faintly with old magic, we found it—The Archivist's Gate. A heavy iron door sat embedded in the stone, guarded by a statue with glowing eyes and a mouth shaped like an open book. Then it spoke: "Speak your curiosity, and the gate shall answer."
I looked at Lars. "Wanna try?"
He grinned and asked the statue, "Is there a spell that can turn a potato into a pigeon?"
"Nice joke…" I said. "I wonder if it'll open up for us."
He smirked. "Come on, I'm curious about it!"
Our heads turned as the statue groaned and slowly swung open.
"See?" he said with a smug look on his face.
I laughed. "Whatever, dumbass!"
Inside was a large limestone room filled with countless wooden bookshelves. Gravity seemed to have taken a break, because old books floated between the shelves, their pages turning in mid-air as if they were reading themselves. At the center, an NPC librarian in black robes, eyes glowing softly, watched us enter without saying a word.
"This place…" Lars whispered, awe in his voice. "I think it's full of secret knowledge."
We didn't stay for long. Lars discovered the 'spell' on how to turn a potato into a pigeon, only to find out it was just a clever trick, not an actual spell. But I found a single parchment, weathered and curled at the edges, that read: "Those without class may walk roads hidden to all."
As the sun sank behind the silver domes of Arkanos, we made our way toward the dungeon gates. Around fifty players had already gathered, all clad in uncommon armor, swords, and bows strapped to their backs. Guild banners snapped in the evening breeze, and the air buzzed with chatter, plans, and quiet laughter. The scene felt alive, a mix of anticipation and tension as everyone waited for the dungeon to open.
I stepped forward with Lars, our mismatched gear glinting faintly in the dusk light. Two idiots armed with nothing but side quests, scavenged loot, and misplaced confidence.
"Duo party?" a male warrior mocked as we passed by. "You're dead meat."
I didn't answer. Lars just smiled.
Lars stepped in front of me. "Let's show them," he paused. "What a pair of losers can do!"
"But, Lars…" I said, trying to stop myself from bursting out in laughter. "You're the only loser here..."
"Oh, really?" he said. "I won't even bother saving you when you're about to die, moron!"
I laughed and replied, "I-I was kidding!"
Lars laughed, but behind us, the dungeon gates suddenly rumbled.