The first wolf Jin-woo encountered was alone, separated from any pack. It stood on a small rise in the terrain, its profile visible against the sky. As Jin-woo got closer, more details became apparent. The creature's fur was thick and matted, varying shades of gray and brown. Its eyes glowed with a faint red light—game design shorthand for hostile mob. The wolf was larger than he'd estimated, nearly three feet tall at the shoulder, with powerful legs and a lean, hungry look.
Above its head, the nameplate read: Plains Wolf - Level 2.
Jin-woo slowed his approach at about thirty feet. The wolf's head turned toward him, ears perking up. At twenty feet, the creature's body language shifted from neutral to aggressive—hackles raising, lips pulling back to reveal yellowed teeth.
At fifteen feet, the wolf growled. The sound was deep and menacing, perfectly rendered by whatever audio system ERO used. Jin-woo's grip tightened on his iron sword.
At ten feet, the wolf attacked.
It moved fast—much faster than the slimes. One moment it was standing still, the next it was a blur of gray fur and snapping jaws. Jin-woo barely got his sword up in a defensive position before the wolf closed the distance. The creature leaped, jaws aimed at his throat.
Jin-woo threw himself backward, stumbling, his sword swinging wildly. The blade caught the wolf's side in a glancing blow as the creature sailed past him. A damage number appeared: -8.
The wolf landed, spun, and immediately lunged again. This time it went low, teeth snapping at Jin-woo's leg. He tried to dodge, but the wolf was too fast. Teeth clamped down on his left calf with shocking force.
Pain exploded through Jin-woo's leg—not real pain, but the VR simulation of it. His brain screamed that he was being bitten, that teeth were puncturing flesh, even though his real body was sitting safely in his apartment. The sensation was intense enough to make him cry out.
His health bar flashed: 85/100.
A damage number appeared above his head: -15.
The wolf released his leg and backed away, circling. Jin-woo's leg throbbed with phantom pain, and he noticed his movement speed had decreased slightly—a debuff indicator appeared in his peripheral vision: "Minor Leg Injury - Movement Speed -5%."
"Damn it," Jin-woo hissed through clenched teeth.
He couldn't let the wolf control the fight. Gritting his teeth against the simulated pain, Jin-woo lunged forward and swung his sword in a horizontal arc. The wolf tried to dodge, but Jin-woo's reach with the sword was longer than its ability to evade. The blade connected with the creature's shoulder.
SLASH.
-12 damage appeared above the wolf.
A health bar materialized over the wolf's head: 60/80 HP.
Eighty health. That was four times what the slimes had. And the wolf hit harder, moved faster, and used actual tactics. This was a significant step up in difficulty.
The wolf snarled and attacked again, this time feinting left before darting right. Jin-woo fell for the feint, swinging at empty air. The wolf closed in and bit his sword arm. More simulated pain, more teeth, more horrible sensation. His health: 69/100. Another -16 appeared above his head.
Jin-woo roared in frustration and brought his free hand around, punching the wolf in the side of its head. His bare knuckles connected with fur and skull, and while the damage was minimal—-2 appeared above the wolf—the surprise was enough to make it release his arm.
He immediately followed up with his sword, a downward chop that caught the wolf across its back. -11 damage. The wolf's health: 47/80.
The creature yelped and retreated, creating distance. It circled Jin-woo slowly, yellow eyes calculating, looking for another opening. Jin-woo mirrored its movement, keeping his sword between them. His health was at 69/100, and both his leg and arm throbbed with phantom wounds. His stamina was at 78/100 from the exertion.
The wolf attacked again, but this time Jin-woo was ready. As it lunged, he sidestepped and brought his sword down on its exposed flank. The blade bit deep, and a critical hit notification flashed: CRITICAL! -18 damage.
The wolf's health dropped to 29/80.
The creature landed badly, stumbling, clearly injured. Jin-woo pressed his advantage, stepping in with a thrust. The sword's point pierced into the wolf's side, and the creature howled in pain. -13 damage. Health: 16/80.
But the wolf wasn't finished. In desperation, it twisted and snapped at Jin-woo's arm again, catching his forearm. The bite was weaker than before—only -8 damage—but it reminded Jin-woo that wounded animals were often more dangerous.
His health: 61/100. Getting low.
Jin-woo yanked his arm free and swung in a wide arc, putting all his remaining stamina behind the blow. The sword caught the wolf in the neck, and the damage number was satisfying: -14.
The wolf's health hit 2/80.
One more hit. The creature was barely standing, its movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Jin-woo stepped in and thrust his sword forward, the point piercing the wolf's chest. The creature collapsed, its body going limp.
A final damage number: -12.
The wolf's body dissolved into particles of light, leaving behind loot on the ground: two copper coins and a small item that looked like a tooth.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (1/20)
Jin-woo stood there breathing hard, his health at 61/100, his stamina at 44/100. That single fight had taken nearly two full minutes and cost him almost forty percent of his health. At this rate, killing twenty wolves would take hours, and he'd probably die at least once.
He bent down and collected the loot. The tooth item was labeled "Wolf Fang" and worth 3 copper to vendors. Combined with the 2 copper from the kill itself, he'd earned 5 copper for two minutes of intense combat.
Five cents for two minutes. Scaled up, that was... Jin-woo did the mental math. One hundred twenty seconds per kill meant thirty kills per hour at absolute maximum efficiency, assuming no downtime for health regeneration or travel time between wolves. Thirty kills at 5 copper each was 150 copper, or $1.50 per hour.
Less than minimum wage. Far less.
But this was just level 2 content. The forums had been clear—money scaling improved dramatically as you progressed. Level 50+ zones offered silver per kill instead of copper. Level 100+ zones offered gold. He just had to survive long enough to get there.
Jin-woo checked his health. It was regenerating slowly: 62/100. 63/100. Still at 1 point per second. It would take nearly forty seconds to fully heal. He couldn't afford to wait that long between every fight. He'd have to learn to fight more efficiently, take less damage, or accept fighting at partial health.
He looked around the plains. Other players were visible in the distance—some fighting wolves, others heading toward different hunting grounds. Most of them appeared to be level 3-5 based on their confident movements and faster kill times. Jin-woo was behind the curve, under-leveled and under-skilled.
Twenty wolves. He needed to kill nineteen more of these things.
Jin-woo spotted another wolf about a hundred feet away, this one also solitary. He started walking toward it, his health ticking up to 72/100 by the time he closed the distance.
The second fight went similarly to the first. The wolf was aggressive and fast, biting him three times before he managed to kill it. His health dropped to 38/100, dangerously low. The fight took two minutes, and the loot was identical: 2 copper and a wolf fang.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (2/20)
After the second kill, Jin-woo sat down in the grass and waited for his health to regenerate. He couldn't keep fighting at half health—one mistake, one bad engagement, and he'd die. The death penalty was severe: six hours locked out of the game and 10% experience loss. He couldn't afford to lose six hours when he only had thirty days to earn back his loan.
His health slowly climbed: 42/100. 48/100. 54/100. Jin-woo used the time to observe other players hunting nearby. A level 4 ranger was taking down wolves from distance with arrows, kiting them around rocks and trees. Each kill took maybe forty-five seconds, and the player rarely took damage. A level 5 warrior was handling two wolves simultaneously, using some kind of area attack that hit both creatures at once.
Jin-woo's approach was inefficient. He was fighting like this was real life, when it was actually a game with mechanics to learn and exploit. The wolves had patterns. Attack patterns. He needed to study them, learn to predict them.
His health hit 100/100. Time to continue.
The third wolf was near a small cluster of rocks. Jin-woo approached more carefully this time, watching the creature's behavior before engaging. The wolf prowled in a small circle, paused to sniff the air, then continued prowling. Every few seconds, its head would turn, scanning for threats or prey.
Jin-woo attacked from the side while the wolf was looking away. His sword struck before the creature fully registered his presence, landing a solid hit. -13 damage. The wolf's health: 67/80.
The surprise attack gave him an advantage. The wolf turned and lunged, but Jin-woo was already moving, sidestepping while bringing his sword around for a follow-up strike. -11 damage. Wolf's health: 56/80.
The creature snarled and tried to circle behind him, but Jin-woo kept his front toward it, shuffling his feet, maintaining distance. When the wolf lunged again, he was ready. He stepped into the attack instead of away from it, timing his movement so the wolf's bite missed his body by inches, and brought his sword down on the creature's exposed back. -12 damage. Wolf's health: 44/80.
The fight continued, but Jin-woo was learning. He took only one bite this time, losing -14 health, and killed the wolf in about ninety seconds. Progress.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (3/20)
The fourth wolf went even better. Jin-woo managed to avoid two of its attacks entirely, and the fight ended with him still at 79/100 health. The fifth wolf was a closer call—it landed three solid bites, dropping him to 51/100—but he adapted, learning to read the telltale crouch before each lunge.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (5/20)
Two hours passed. Jin-woo fell into a rhythm: find wolf, engage, kill, collect loot, regenerate health if necessary, repeat. His kill times gradually improved as muscle memory developed and pattern recognition sharpened. Ninety seconds per kill. Eighty seconds. Seventy-five seconds.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (8/20)
His inventory was filling up. Sixteen copper coins. Eight wolf fangs. The fangs didn't stack infinitely—the stack limit was 99—so they weren't taking up much space, but he was conscious of inventory management. Once he hit 20 fangs, he'd need to sell them.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (11/20)
Three hours total. Jin-woo's real body was getting tired. He could feel it—the phantom sensation bleeding through the VR interface. His neck was stiff from sitting in one position too long. His eyes burned slightly. The headset's battery indicator showed 43% remaining, maybe two more hours of play time before he'd need to recharge.
He pushed through the fatigue. Thirteen wolves down. Fifteen. Seventeen.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (17/20)
And then his luck ran out.
Jin-woo was engaging what he thought was a lone wolf near a small hillock when two more wolves appeared from behind the rise. They'd been lying down, out of sight, and his attack on their pack mate triggered their aggression.
Three wolves. All level 2-3. All attacking simultaneously.
The first wolf—the one he'd initially targeted—lunged at his front. Jin-woo blocked with his sword, the impact jarring his arms. -6 damage through the block. His health: 94/100.
The second wolf attacked from his left, biting his arm. -16 damage. His health: 78/100.
The third wolf came from his right, going for his leg. Jin-woo tried to dodge, but with the other two wolves engaging him, he couldn't move fast enough. Teeth sank into his calf. -15 damage. His health: 63/100.
Jin-woo swung wildly, his blade catching one of the wolves across its face. -10 damage appeared above it, but there was no time to follow up. All three wolves were circling, attacking in sequence, giving him no chance to focus on any single target.
Another bite to his sword arm. -14 damage. His health: 49/100.
A bite to his other leg. -16 damage. His health: 33/100.
Critical. He was in critical health range. Jin-woo's vision was starting to blur slightly—a game mechanic that simulated disorientation from injuries. His movement speed was reduced by multiple debuffs: "Severe Leg Injuries - Movement Speed -15%."
He tried to run, to create distance, but the wolves were faster. They pursued, harrying him, biting at his legs and arms. His health dropped: 19/100.
One of the wolves lunged for his throat. Jin-woo managed to block with his forearm, taking -12 damage instead of what would have been a killing blow. His health: 7/100.
Seven health. One more hit would kill him.
Jin-woo spun and swung his sword in a desperate arc, putting everything behind it. The blade connected with the nearest wolf—the one that had just attacked his throat. CRITICAL! -19 damage. The wolf's health dropped to critical levels, and it staggered back.
But the other two wolves attacked simultaneously. One bit his leg: -8 damage.
Jin-woo's health hit zero.
His vision flashed red, then white. The world dissolved, and a message appeared in stark text:
YOU HAVE DIED
Death Penalty:
6-hour login restriction10% experience loss (10 XP lost)Respawning at last visited safe zone
Time until login access restored: 5:59:58
The VR interface disconnected, and Jin-woo found himself back in his apartment, sitting on his uncomfortable kitchen chair, the headset still on his face. His heart was pounding, adrenaline surging through his real body from the simulated combat.
He pulled the headset off and checked the time on his phone: 3:47 PM. He'd been playing for six hours straight. Six hours, and he'd only killed seventeen wolves. Three more to go, and now he was locked out until almost 10 PM tonight.
Jin-woo set the headset down and stood, his real legs shaky from hours of sitting. His neck ached. His eyes were dry and irritated. His stomach growled—he'd forgotten to eat the crackers he'd set aside.
Six hours of grinding, and he had maybe 30 copper to show for it, plus whatever loot had dropped from the seventeen wolves. Seventeen kills at 5 copper average meant 85 copper total. Plus his starting 94 copper. That was 179 copper. $1.79 for six hours of work.
Less than thirty cents per hour.
Jin-woo walked to his tiny bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. The reflection in the cracked mirror looked even worse than this morning—eyes bloodshot, skin pale, hair matted with sweat from the headset. He looked sick.
But he couldn't stop. The loan payment was due in thirty days. He needed that three silver from the wolf quest. He needed to start making real money.
The six-hour lockout stretched ahead of him like a prison sentence. He couldn't log back in until almost 10 PM. What was he supposed to do until then? Sit here in his apartment, staring at the eviction notice, calculating and recalculating how many wolves he needed to kill to make rent?
Jin-woo made himself eat the crackers, washing them down with tap water. The food sat heavy in his stomach, but at least it was something. He checked his phone—no new messages, no missed calls. Just the loan agreement still open in his browser, the numbers mocking him.
He set an alarm for 9:45 PM and lay down on his futon. Sleep was probably impossible with the adrenaline still coursing through his system, but he could at least rest his eyes. The headset needed to recharge anyway.
Time crawled. Jin-woo dozed fitfully, his dreams filled with wolves and red damage numbers and eviction notices that transformed into glowing quest prompts. When the alarm finally went off, he felt more tired than before.
9:45 PM. Fifteen minutes until he could log back in.
Jin-woo used the bathroom, filled his water bottle, positioned himself back on the chair. The headset had fully recharged, the indicator showing 100%. He put it on and waited, watching the countdown timer:
Time until login access restored: 0:14:32
Thirteen minutes. Twelve. Eleven.
At 10:00 PM exactly, the timer hit zero and new text appeared:
Login restriction lifted. Welcome back to Eternal Realm Online.
Jin-woo didn't hesitate. "Log in."
The world dissolved into white, then reformed into the familiar landscape of the Plains of Beginning. He was standing in exactly the same spot where he'd died—apparently the respawn point was quite close. His health and stamina were at full, and his equipment was intact. No gear loss from death, at least in these beginner zones.
But his experience bar showed the penalty: Level 1, 90/200 XP. He'd lost 10 XP from the death—not much at this level, but it would be more significant later.
More importantly, his quest progress was intact: Wolf Problem (17/20).
Three more wolves. Just three more, and he could complete the quest and get his three silver.
Jin-woo checked his surroundings carefully this time, making absolutely sure no wolves were hiding nearby. The coast was clear. He spotted a lone wolf about fifty yards away, isolated from any pack.
He approached cautiously, sword ready, every sense alert for additional threats. The wolf noticed him at twenty feet and growled. At fifteen feet, it charged.
Jin-woo met it with a solid swing, his blade catching it across the shoulder. -12 damage. The wolf's health: 68/80.
The fight proceeded methodically. Jin-woo had learned his lesson about overconfidence. He played defensively, blocking and dodging more than attacking, only striking when he had clear openings. The wolf landed two bites, but he kept his health above 70/100 throughout the fight.
When the wolf finally died, Jin-woo felt only grim satisfaction. No celebration, no relief. Just one more step toward the goal.
Quest Progress: Wolf Problem (18/20)
Nineteen. Twenty. Each kill took about ninety seconds now that Jin-woo had the pattern memorized. Each kill cost him roughly 20-30 health. Each kill dropped 2 copper and a wolf fang.
When the twentieth wolf dissolved into light particles, a different notification appeared:
Quest Complete: Wolf Problem (20/20) Return to Havencrest City to claim your reward.
Jin-woo checked the time on his real-world phone through the VR interface—one of ERO's convenience features. 10:47 PM. He'd been awake for nearly fifteen hours, played ERO for about seven hours total. His body felt like garbage, but he'd completed the quest.
The walk back to Havencrest City took ten minutes. The plains looked different at night—the in-game time had progressed to evening, with one of the twin suns setting on the horizon and the other already below it. Stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. The city walls glowed with magical light, making them visible from miles away.
Jin-woo passed through the west gate without incident and made his way through the city streets toward the quest board. A few other players were out—the city never truly slept—but it was significantly less crowded than during the day.
Near the quest board stood an NPC Jin-woo hadn't noticed before: a middle-aged man in simple merchant's clothes with a nameplate reading "Merchant Guild Representative - Quest Officer."
Jin-woo approached, and the NPC's head turned toward him with that uncanny AI precision.
"Ah, an adventurer returns," the NPC said, his voice warm. "I see you've completed the wolf contract. Nasty creatures, those. The roads will be safer thanks to your efforts."
A quest completion screen appeared:
Quest Complete: Wolf Problem Rewards:
3 Silver (300 Copper)Wolf Pelt x5150 Experience
Accept Rewards?
"Accept," Jin-woo said.
The items materialized in his inventory. His currency counter updated: 0 gold, 519 copper. His experience bar jumped: Level 1, 240/200 XP.
Wait. 240/200? Jin-woo pulled up his character sheet and saw a notification flashing:
LEVEL UP! You have reached Level 2! +5 Stat Points available to allocate Health increased to 110/110 Stamina increased to 110/110
Level 2. Finally. Jin-woo allocated his stat points immediately, following the forum recommendations for warrior builds: 3 points to Strength for damage, 2 points to Vitality for health. His new stats:
Strength: 13 Vitality: 12 (Others unchanged at 10)
Health: 120/120 Attack power increased.
Better. Stronger. Still pathetically weak compared to the level 200+ players flying around on dragon mounts, but better than he was an hour ago.
More importantly, he had 519 copper. That was $5.19. For seven hours of work.
Jin-woo left the quest officer and searched the city streets for what he needed: an exchange terminal. The forums had mentioned them—official kiosks where players could convert in-game currency to real money or vice versa. Eternal Games took a 5% transaction fee, but the process was instant and secure.
He found one near the plaza, a crystalline kiosk that glowed softly blue. Several players were using other terminals in the row, conducting their own transactions. Jin-woo approached an empty terminal and the interface activated:
ETERNAL REALM EXCHANGE Currency Conversion Services
Current Exchange Rate: 1 Silver = $1.00 USD Transaction Fee: 5%
Select Service:
Convert ERO Currency to Real Money Convert Real Money to ERO Currency
Jin-woo selected the first option. A new screen appeared:
Amount to Convert: (Current balance: 0 gold, 519 copper)
Minimum conversion: 100 copper (1 silver)
Jin-woo thought for a moment. He needed to maximize his real-world money while keeping enough copper for in-game expenses—food, equipment repairs, emergency potions if necessary. He decided to convert 100 copper, keeping 419 copper for in-game use.
He input: 100 copper
Confirmation appeared:
Convert 100 copper (1 silver) to USD? You will receive: $0.95 (after 5% fee) Remaining balance: 419 copper
Confirm transaction?
"Confirm," Jin-woo said.
Processing... Transaction complete.
$0.95 has been transferred to linked bank account. New ERO balance: 0 gold, 419 copper
Jin-woo pulled out his real phone and checked his banking app. His balance had updated: -$126.48. The overdraft was still there, but now he was $0.95 closer to zero than before.
It was pathetic. Less than a dollar for seven hours of grinding. But it was something. It was proof the system worked. He could earn real money in ERO. He just needed to do it faster, more efficiently, at higher levels where the rewards were better.
Jin-woo looked around the glowing city, at the high-level players and their incredible equipment, at the massive gulf between where he was and where he needed to be.
He pulled up his quest log and started looking for another job. Sleep could wait. Food could wait. He had twenty-nine days left to earn $1,232, and every hour counted.
But even as he searched the quest board for another wolf contract or rat extermination mission, a notification appeared—one he'd been dreading:
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Daily playtime on basic VR headset: 7 hours, 12 minutes WARNING: Extended VR usage can cause mental fatigue Recommended action: Log out and rest for at least 6 hours
The system wouldn't force him to log out—players in capsules could stay connected for days—but the warning was clear. His first-generation headset wasn't designed for marathon sessions. Pushing further would mean reduced performance, slower reflexes, more mistakes. More deaths.
Jin-woo read the warning and closed it without responding. He looked at the quest board, at the jobs available, at the meager copper rewards.
Then he looked at his stamina bar, his health, his level. Level 2 with 419 copper to his name.
The math was simple and brutal. At his current rate, he'd need to play every available hour for the next thirty days, grinding non-stop, just to make minimum wage. And that was assuming he never died, never made mistakes, never wasted a single second.
It wasn't enough. The wolf quest had taught him that. Low-level grinding was too slow, too inefficient. He needed to level faster, reach the zones where silver dropped instead of copper, where the real money was made.
But he couldn't level fast without dying. And he couldn't afford to die—every death was six hours lost, six hours he could have been earning.
The contradiction was maddening.
Jin-woo stood in the plaza of Havencrest City, surrounded by successful players and impossible wealth, holding less than five dollars to his name.
He needed to get faster. Needed to get better. Needed to find a way to make this work.
Whatever it takes.
But tonight, his body was telling him in no uncertain terms that "whatever it takes" had limits. His real eyes burned. His real neck throbbed. His real stomach was empty except for a handful of crackers.
Jin-woo looked at the quest board one more time, memorizing the available jobs. Then he accessed the menu and selected "Log Out."
The world dissolved.
He pulled the headset off and sat in his dark apartment, the only light coming from his phone screen. 11:03 PM. He'd been in the game for just over an hour after the six-hour lockout.
His bank account showed -$126.48. His loan payment of $1,232 was due in twenty-nine days. He'd earned $0.95 today.
Jin-woo did the math. At this rate, he'd need to play for... the number was too depressing to finish calculating.
He stood up, his real legs shaky, and walked to the futon. The eviction notice sat on the table, thirty days away. The loan agreement was still open on his phone, the due date looming.
Tomorrow. He'd do better tomorrow. He'd find more efficient quests, better hunting grounds, faster ways to earn. He had to.
Jin-woo lay down, fully clothed, too exhausted to change. Sleep came quickly, mercifully dreamless. The last thought that crossed his mind before unconsciousness took him was a simple, desperate plea:
Let this work. Please let this work.