The violet hues of dusk deepened into the short, dangerous night cycle of Glory. Nighttime in the game lasted barely five hours—a deliberate design choice meant to discourage idle exploration. The wilderness became treacherous. Every monster received a 50% stat boost, while players stepping beyond village limits suffered a 50% debuff. Few dared to wander at night.
But Kaito was different.
Moving quietly through Verdant Hollow's darker alleys, he approached a forgotten crate tucked behind the blacksmith's workshop. His memories guided him here—this was where it had spawned during the game's first month, long after most players had left the village.
And now, he found it.
Lantern of Dusk
Its modest iron frame flickered with a faint blue glow.
You've discovered: Lantern of Dusk.
Effect: Negates nighttime debuffs within 10 meters of the bearer. Duration: Unlimited.
Cannot be dropped or traded.
Respawn Time: 48 hours after pickup.
First discovery in Verdant Hollow!
Without hesitation, Kaito stored it in his inventory. Flashing it around would only invite attention from nosy players or thieves.
He stepped across the threshold of the village boundary. A faint notification blinked but failed to activate—the debuff was suppressed.
Perfect.
Taking a winding trail he remembered well, Kaito avoided several monster spawns and climbed toward the western ridgeline. He bypassed a patrol of Feral Hillhounds, then waited for an Iron-Horn Bison [common] to move on before slipping through brush to reach the high cliffs where Gravepelt Bears [elite] roamed.
Each one was Level 7—large, slow, and lethal.
Activating the lantern, he crept toward the nearest bear, striking from behind with his Obsidian Fang Blade. Its bronze-grade edge cut true.
Critical Hit! -24
Evade Successful
Counterstrike Bonus: +5% XP
After a tense 38-second battle, the Gravepelt collapsed.
+190 EXP
Loot: Gravepelt Fur x3, Clawed Bone Fragment, 8 Silver
Kaito pressed deeper into the ridge, battling one monster at a time, methodically preserving his stamina and HP. His strategy, timing, and precision let him operate like a machine.
Hours passed.
Current Level: 5 (EXP: 785 / 1000)
Unassigned Stat Points: 10
He wiped the sweat from his brow and checked the in-game clock. Just after 3:30 AM.
The Stonehide Ravager—the Level 9 beast he had slain yesterday—was due to respawn, but not yet. Its cycle was fixed at 12 in-game hours, which meant six more hours until it returned. Daylight would arrive before then, making it a much safer encounter.
Until then, he would grind.
Kaito entered a shaded basin hidden behind a waterfall. There, nestled under moss and roots, was a glowing item half-buried in the dirt.
System Notification: You've found [Village Advance Scroll Fragment: 1/3]
Collect all three to unlock the Advancement Quest: "Test of the Village Guardian."
A grin tugged at his lips.
In his past life, players hadn't discovered these fragments until much later. Most only realized their purpose after hitting the level cap in the village.
The advancement quest unlocked access to the nearest city, and the final challenge required defeating the Village Boss—a Level 10 Silver-tier beast named Barkjaw, known for its massive attribute pool and brutal defense.
Though Barkjaw was the same level as the player cap for the village, being Silver-tier meant it had significantly more stats than regular monsters. That's why groups of ten or more were usually required to defeat it during early days.
He traveled north to the Copperstone Ravine, a steep, jagged path where few players tread.
Behind a cluster of collapsed stones, he uncovered another relic:
[Village Advance Scroll Fragment: 2/3] obtained.
Only one left.
The third fragment—if he remembered correctly—was held by Barkjaw itself. It wasn't a drop, but rather a guaranteed reward upon defeating the boss.
Around 4:30 AM, he paused to rest beneath a craggy ledge.
The Lantern of Dusk flickered softly beside him, still suppressing the debuff. Its glow was faint but stable. For now, no one else had found any similar lanterns. But he knew they would—eventually.
As soon as guilds realized what it enabled, they'd begin mass-hunting these lanterns. The items weren't unique or one-time-only. Once picked up, they respawned at a new hidden location after 48 hours, making them difficult but not impossible to gather.
But right now, no one else knew. And Kaito would keep it that way.
He added a mental note to return tomorrow, after Barkjaw's next spawn, and begin preparations to advance to the next stage of the game: the Town Zone.
By then, he needed to be at Level 10—preferably with gear strong enough to solo the Silver-ranked boss.
Kaito rested just long enough to catch his breath beneath the craggy ledge before standing again. The night wasn't over, and there was still precious time to grind before dawn broke across Verdant Hollow.
With the Lantern of Dusk softly illuminating a ten-meter radius, the forest around him seemed less menacing. Still, he remained cautious. The monsters may not receive buffs within his lantern's radius, but beyond that perimeter, they remained 50% stronger—and extremely aggressive.
He pressed on.
Now entering the dense section near the Mistfen Hollow, he recalled another spawn point with decent monster density—Vineclaw Lizards [common], Level 7–8, known for their mobility and poisonous barbed tails. Dangerous if surrounded, but manageable if handled one by one.
Kaito's boots sank slightly into damp moss as he approached the first creature. A sleek, olive-scaled lizard with a frilled crest hissed and reared up.
He didn't wait.
His Obsidian Fang Blade slashed out in a sharp diagonal arc, catching the beast in its soft side.
[Critical Hit – 26]
[Poison Evasion Successful]
[Vineclaw Lizard Defeated]
+220 EXP
Loot: Vineclaw Hide ×1, Barbed Fang ×1, 6 Silver
By 5:00 AM Glory time, he had cleared out half a dozen of them, each time luring a single target into his debuff-negated zone before attacking. The Lantern of Dusk proved invaluable—without it, his health pool and damage would have been cut in half.
Another lizard.
Another clean kill.
Kaito checked his panel.
[Character Panel – Raen]
Level: 6
Class: Swordsman
EXP: 420 / 1200
Unassigned Stat Points: 10
Silver: 78
Gold: 10003
Reputation: Friendly (Verdant Hollow)
Honor: 10
Not bad. But not enough either.
He had two hours left before logout was forced by helmet restrictions. And he intended to use every minute.
————————
He began pushing farther into the edge of the Moonspire Plateau, a place he had avoided in his previous life until much later. Here, lurking between fallen ruins and shattered trees, roamed a common category of beast: Ironback Fiends, Level 9, low agility but high health pools and near-impenetrable defense.
According to his memories, they had a small chance to drop Iron Shard Tokens, used later in city quests. Right now, no one would know their use—making them perfect for stockpiling.
He baited one toward the boundary of his lantern's glow, keeping its armored back out of reach.
The battle was slow. His attacks barely chipped away at its massive body.
[Damage – 4]
[Damage – 3]
[Evade Successful]
[Counter: Rip Through – 9]
After nearly two minutes of focused execution, it finally fell.
[Ironback Fiend Defeated]
+350 EXP
Loot: Iron Shard Token ×1, Hardened Hide ×1, 15 Silver
[Level Up – Raen has reached Level 7]
He checked the panel again.
[Character Panel – Raen]
Level: 7
EXP: 150 / 2000
Stat Points Unassigned: 15
Health: 140
Attack: 32
Defense: 10
One more level to go before the Ravager spawned again.
By now, soft light had begun to appear at the eastern edge of the forest. Daybreak. The moment he'd been waiting for.
As the game shifted into morning cycle, all monsters reverted to their regular strength. Kaito sheathed his sword briefly and made his way back toward the lair of the Stonehide Ravager.
Six more Vineclaw Lizards and two Gravepelts later, his EXP bar glowed.
[Level Up – Raen has reached Level 8]
He exhaled slowly, arms still loose from the last parry.
"Perfect timing."
There was still around 30 minutes before his logout.
He returned to the Ravager's canyon, passing by the claw-marked stone and broken logs. As expected, the hulking beast had not respawned yet—but the ground rumbled slightly, and faint earthshakes indicated that it was close.
Soon.
He climbed up a nearby ledge and waited, eyes on the lair.
This would be the last fight of the night—and his stepping stone to Level 10.
If done right, this final battle would push him to the peak of village-level progression.
And after that… advancement would begin.