The heavy canvas of the command tent rustled faintly in the forest wind. The Guard Captain's words still echoed in Kenji's ears:
Four hours.
That was the time the soldiers needed to prepare before marching against the Regional Boss.
Kenji stepped outside, the chill of the Ashwood night clinging to his skin. Torches flared around the outpost. NPCs moved with purpose—checking armor, sharpening blades, tightening saddle straps. The place buzzed with urgency.
But for Kenji, the adrenaline was fading. His body was catching up to him. He had been awake, playing, grinding, fighting nonstop for nearly two days.
If this was truly a marathon, not a sprint, he couldn't afford to burn himself out so soon.
"Better to rest now," he muttered.
He slipped into a small barrack tent where spare cots were laid out for guards. Nobody stopped him; Protector rank earned him that much. He lay back, pulling up his phone.
Scrolling forums before sleep had become his new ritual.
A fresh thread caught his eye:
[Discovery] Pairs in Decks Unlock Skills!
He tapped it.
We tested with two Sevens. Registering both not only stacked stats (+HP, +Regen), but unlocked a skill: [Seventh Wind]. Small healing pulse, scales with Heart suit.
Pairs keep their flat stats AND give bonus skills tied to the number + path.
Kenji's brows furrowed. Interesting. His deck only had two cards registered: 10♠ and K♠. If he drew another Ten or another King, it could change everything.
Another post caught his eye:
[Speculation] No card above 10?
Across thousands of players sharing first-draw screenshots, nobody has pulled a card higher than 10.
Kenji rubbed his chin.
"So the initial draw caps at 10… makes sense. If everyone started with face cards, it'd break balance."
But it left him wondering: was this really poker at its core? Would straights, flushes, full houses truly grant the mythical power people whispered about? Or was Revelation Online twisting the rules in ways nobody yet understood?
Questions swirled until his eyes grew heavy. Sleep claimed him.
When he woke, sunlight filtered into the barracks. His phone buzzed with dozens of messages.
Dante:"Kenji?! You're already on the leaderboard! GrayWolf is you, isn't it? You crazy bastard."
Mika:"People are clipping you everywhere. Streamers are calling you 'The Phantom Blades.' Text me back!!"
Hana:"Careful. Don't overburn. Also—don't trust NPCs blindly."
Kenji smiled faintly. He wanted to answer, but time pressed on.
He had no luxury for long conversations. Not now.
The gap was everything. The stronger it grew, the better his advantage.
He logged back in, eyes snapping open to the outpost's familiar tent. Relief washed over him.
He was still here.
If the system had teleported him back to Hollowbrook after logging out, he would have been doomed. The march was about to begin. And without teleportation in this world, travel was brutal. Hours on foot, even with a mount. Miss the timing, and the Legendary Quest would fail before it began.
It hammered home just how massive each region really was.
The outpost alone sat at the edge of Ashwood Forest. Beyond stretched dozens of subzones, cliffs, rivers, valleys. Travel wasn't cheap. Travel was survival.
A horn blew.
NPCs streamed into formation. The Guard Captain barked orders, his voice cutting like steel. Soldiers lined up in disciplined rows, banners raised. At his side, the Tier 1 Envoy stood silent, cloak billowing, aura cold as ever.
Kenji tightened his Twin Fangs, blades gleaming under the rising sun.
This was it. The march toward a Regional Boss. The kind of event that could rewrite an entire map's history.
And he was part of it.
[Quest: Defend Ashwood Frontier — Expedition Begins.]
The outpost gates opened.
They left, torches and banners blazing, ready to face a storm none had yet seen.