The square of the beginner village was busier than ever.
Dozens of new players bustled about, their fresh avatars shining with the polish of default gear, their faces still wide-eyed with awe at the realism of Mythras.
Market stalls filled with NPCs shouted about bread, leather boots, and crude weapons, and somewhere in the distance a bard's lute carried a cheerful tune.
Gale leaned against the fountain at the square's center, his arms folded as he tried to keep his anticipation under wraps.
'What kind of "friends" does Isabella mean?' he wondered, tapping his foot lightly.
Isabella never had many close friends—certainly not the sort who played VR games, let alone knew secrets hidden in them. Yet she had sounded so certain over the phone.
He wanted to believe her. He always did.
Still, a sliver of suspicion itched at the back of his mind.
A familiar voice broke his thoughts.
"There you are."
Gale turned, and for a moment, his caution melted away.
Isabella approached, her long auburn hair swaying with each step, her avatar resembling her real-world appearance almost perfectly, down to the mischievous smile tugging at her lips.
She wore the simple linen tunic and trousers of a beginner, yet somehow carried herself as if it were silk and gold.
"You kept me waiting," Gale said, half-smiling.
"You'll survive." She reached up and flicked his arm gently. "Come on, I want you to meet them."
"Them?"
Before he could press, two figures trailed behind her.
The first was tall, broad-shouldered, with black hair slicked neatly back. His jawline was sharp, and his eyes held that particular sharpness Gale had seen too many times in business forums—calculating, measuring. He wore the same starting gear as the rest of them, but somehow looked more commanding.
The second was leaner, his brown eyes warmer, framed by a boyish grin that contrasted his companion's edge. He moved like someone at ease in any situation, casual and confident.
"Gale, this is Marcus," Isabella said, motioning to the taller one, "and this is Alex."
"Pleasure," Marcus said, extending a hand. His voice was smooth, practiced.
Alex grinned wider. "So you're the lucky guy with the key, huh?"
Gale froze. His gaze flicked from Isabella to them. "...You told them?"
Isabella winced, giving him a quick, placating smile. "Relax. They're trustworthy. Besides, everyone's already talking about it online—you can't exactly keep something like that hidden forever."
"I could try," Gale muttered, but he shook Marcus's hand anyway. The man's grip was firm. Too firm.
Alex gave him a friendly slap on the back. "Don't look so serious. We're not here to steal your shiny toy. We just want to see what's at the end of the rainbow, same as you."
"Right," Gale said flatly.
Isabella stepped closer, her hand brushing his arm.
Her touch softened his resistance. "Gale, they already know things. They have people… friends who sold their keys. They've seen parts of what happens. They can help us. Isn't that what you wanted? Answers?"
Her voice was gentle, coaxing. Loving. Gale looked into her eyes, and for a moment, his doubt wavered.
He exhaled. "Fine. But I want to know exactly what we're walking into."
Marcus smiled faintly, as though expecting nothing less. "Fair enough. The short version? This key isn't just some flashy trinket. It opens a door—literally. A sealed ruin hidden beyond the starter zones. You'd never find it without a hint, but our… contacts pointed us the way. Only those with the key can open it."
"And what's inside?" Gale pressed.
"Treasure," Alex said with a grin. "The kind that can make you strong enough to crush the early game before it even begins. Rare gear, divine blessings, maybe even something no one else has seen yet. That's why the guilds are offering so much money. It's not just gold, Gale—it's power."
Gale's lips pressed thin. 'Power, huh?'
"And you?" he asked slowly. "What's in it for you?"
Marcus's eyes flicked to Isabella, then back. "Curiosity. We're not the only ones watching this game closely, but between us? We'd rather see the treasure with our own eyes than read about it on a forum post. You get the loot, we get the experience. That's all."
Gale studied them both.
They seemed calm, confident. Suspiciously confident. But then Isabella squeezed his arm again, her eyes soft.
"They're on our side," she murmured.
'Our side…' Gale gave a reluctant nod. "Alright. Lead the way."
The four of them left the village together.
The cheerful bustle faded behind them as they passed through wooden gates into the wild.
The beginner fields stretched wide—rolling meadows dotted with rabbits, horned sheep, and the occasional low-level slime that bounced harmlessly until provoked.
Other players were scattered about, laughing, fighting, chasing loot.
But Marcus and Alex led them past it all, deeper into the trees.
The forest swallowed the light.
Moss hung thick from ancient oaks, and the cries of unseen birds echoed overhead.
Occasionally, a monster rustled from the underbrush, but Marcus dispatched them with clean, precise strikes, while Alex laughed and cracked jokes the entire way.
Gale fought too, testing the weight of his starter sword, but his mind was elsewhere.
'They're too smooth. Too practiced. If Isabella hadn't been here, I'd have turned back already.'
Yet every time he glanced at her, walking beside him, her smile steady, his doubts softened.
After nearly an hour, the forest broke into a clearing.
At its center stood ruins.
A crumbled stone chapel, its roof collapsed long ago, its walls cracked and overgrown with ivy.
Yet despite the ruin, there was… presence.
A faint glow pulsed along the shattered archway. The air itself hummed, charged with something Gale could only describe as divine.
"There," Marcus said simply.
Gale stepped closer, heart quickening.
His key burned faintly in his inventory, as if reacting to the place.
"This is it?" Gale asked.
Alex leaned against the arch. "This is it. Looks pretty, doesn't it?"
"Pretty isn't the word," Gale muttered. His hand hovered over his inventory menu. The key shimmered when summoned into his palm—a slender silver shard etched with runes that shimmered faintly like starlight.
Isabella's eyes widened. "It's beautiful…"
"Go ahead," Marcus said, nodding at the doorway. "It's yours to open."
Gale hesitated.
The stone ruin loomed before him, runes across the archway glowing brighter as if anticipating the key's touch.
He swallowed, then stepped forward.
The key lifted from his hand of its own accord, spinning slowly in the air before him. The runes along the arch blazed to life, flooding the clearing with holy light. A low hum vibrated through the earth, and the broken stones trembled as though awakening.
Then, with a deep thrum, the archway opened.
Where ruin had stood, now shimmered a passage—spiraling steps of light descending into darkness, framed by divine fire.
The tomb had revealed itself.
Gale's breath caught.
Behind him, Marcus and Alex exchanged a glance. Isabella squeezed his hand tighter, her smile unwavering.
"Well," Alex said with a grin, eyes glinting in the holy glow. "Shall we?"