Dawnview Village was somehow even louder the second time around.
When Riley and his sisters pushed through the main square again, it felt like every starting zone he remembered — cranked to max volume.
Players sprinted around waving swords, staffs, and occasionally their Spirits.
A kid ran past screaming,
"HOW DO I LOG OUT?!"
Another stood in front of a vendor yelling at an NPC:
"WHY WON'T YOU GIVE ME A LEGENDARY?! I SAID PLEASE!"
Aria inhaled dramatically.
"Ahh, chaos. Smells like home."
Sofia hugged her Lumen Pup, smiling softly. "It's so… busy. I like it. It feels alive."
Riley adjusted the Lumin Whelp on his shoulder. The tiny Spirit clung to his neck, glowing faintly as it stared wide-eyed at the crowd.
"Alright," Riley said. "We've seen the square. Now we need to figure out where everything is — shops, healing, Spirit stuff. If we don't want to die to level one squirrels, we should probably learn how this place works."
Aria gasped.
"Spirit hospital first! My spider deserves premium healthcare."
"You nearly threw her at a puff critter," Sofia reminded gently.
"In my defense," Aria said, "it was hilarious."
Riley couldn't help the small grin tugging at his mouth.
"Come on. Spirit Care Center first."
---
The Spirit Care House
The Care House was a warm wooden building with soft green lanterns and a sign shaped like a sleeping fox. As soon as they stepped inside, the smell of herbs and gentle magic washed over them.
Spirits of every kind rested on cushions:
• tiny birds made of wind
• stone beetles with chipped armor
• a plant-cat hybrid photosynthesizing mid-nap
NPC attendants floated between them in pale cloaks, checking wounds, feeding essences, soothing crying players.
Sofia's whole face melted.
"Oh my goodness… this is precious."
Aria leaned in and whispered, "If they try to keep Venom, I'm staging a rescue mission."
Riley snorted.
A healer with soft brown hair approached with a warm smile.
"Welcome, Walkers. Do your companions need healing?"
Aria shoved her spider forward proudly. "Look at her. She is perfect and deserves rewards."
The Venom Webling blinked eight cheerful eyes.
The healer nodded patiently. "She seems healthy. A little… eager to fight?"
"She gets that from me," Aria said, radiating pride.
Riley gestured to the Whelp. "He's fine. Just… weak."
The Whelp squeaked, scandalized.
The healer tilted her head.
"A light-type fledgling. Rare for beginners."
Aria slapped Riley's back. "Hear that? Rare!
You, however, are average."
"Thank you, Aria," he muttered.
The healer continued gently,
"Light Spirits start frail and limited. Their growth is slow… but once they mature, they become wonders. Treat him well, and his potential will shine."
Sofia brightened. "So weakness now doesn't mean weakness later?"
"Exactly."
Something tight in Riley's chest loosened.
He reached up and stroked the Whelp under its chin.
The little creature chirped happily, rubbing its cheek against his ear.
Aria leaned on the counter.
"Okay, serious question. Do you sell… helmets for spiders?"
The healer blinked. "Pardon?"
"Skull armor. Spikes. Very intimidating." Aria mimed horns. "Right here."
A long, patient pause.
"…No."
Sofia giggled. "Aria…"
"What? Venom deserves FASHION."
Riley laughed. "Thanks. We'll come back if anyone gets hurt."
"Take care," the healer said. "And remember — feed your Spirits regularly. Their growth will stall otherwise. Markets sell basic essence."
"Great," Riley sighed. "We're too broke to feed them."
They stepped back outside.
Aria groaned. "I feel judged."
"You asked for spider skull armor," Sofia pointed out.
"And I stand by that."
---
The Weapon Shop: Reality Check Edition
The weapon shop sat under a hanging sign of crossed blades and a staff. Inside, rows of weapons glittered on racks.
Aria beelined to a glowing sword.
"OHHH, that one's on fire! I want it."
Riley grabbed her wrist.
"Do not touch the flaming sword."
The shopkeeper, a burly NPC with a beard large enough to house a small ecosystem, grunted at them.
"First-timers. What're you looking for?"
"Trouble," Aria said.
"Bows," Riley said simultaneously.
The man motioned toward the right shelves. "Channeler, eh? Go on."
Riley approached the bow section.
And winced.
BEGINNER HUNTING BOW — 40 coins
REINFORCED SHORTBOW — 120 coins
POLISHED CHANNELER BOW — 250 coins
SPIRIT-THREAD LONGBOW — 600 coins
He checked his display.
COINS: 0
Of course.
Aria peered over his shoulder. "We're broke, aren't we."
"Shockingly broke," Riley confirmed.
Sofia checked her interface.
"I have nothing either."
The shopkeeper shrugged.
"Spirit bows are pricey. Takes finesse to make a weapon that channels Spirit energy without exploding."
"Very comforting," Riley muttered.
Aria pointed at the gorgeous longbow hanging behind ropes.
"What about that one?"
"That's for people with money," the shopkeeper replied.
"How much money?"
"More than you have."
Aria clutched her chest. "Rude. Accurate, but rude."
Sofia pointed at the 40-coin bow. "Can we at least buy the cheap one?"
Riley shook his head.
"At best it's a placebo upgrade. Not worth the grind yet."
The Whelp nuzzled his neck apologetically.
Riley patted its head. "It's not your fault we're poor."
The shopkeeper leaned on the counter.
"My advice? Grind. Take quests. Sell drops. Come back when you can afford something that doesn't snap when a boar sneezes."
Aria scowled.
"Did an NPC just financially insult us?!"
---
The Bind Stone Shop (A.K.A. Emotional Damage)
Between a potion stall and a place selling suspiciously green sandwiches sat a narrow Bind Stone shop.
Inside, glowing stones filled shelves like tiny captive stars.
The clerk, a hyper NPC with round glasses, practically bounced toward them.
"Welcome! Here for BIND STONES?"
Aria immediately:
"Yes. Absolutely. I want an army."
Sofia:
"We… mostly want to know prices."
"Of course!" the clerk beamed.
He lifted a faintly glowing stone.
"Beginner Bind Stone! Can capture low-level wild Spirits. Only 50 coins!"
Riley blinked slowly.
"…Fifty?"
"Very affordable!"
"Affordable for who?" Aria hissed. "Royalty?!"
The clerk continued obliviously.
"Reliable Bind Stone! Higher success rate! 120 coins!"
Aria strangled the air.
"ONE! HUNDRED! AND! TWENTY?!"
Sofia held her shoulders. "Aria, please breathe."
"And finally—" the clerk said proudly, revealing a vivid blue stone,
"The Chain Bind Stone! For Channelers! Only 300 coins!"
Riley's soul left his body.
Aria clutched her head.
"So you're saying I have the heart… the passion… to own many Spirits…
BUT NO MONEY?!"
"That is correct," the clerk said happily.
Aria collapsed. "Capitalism is a disease."
Riley stared at the stones.
Having extra Spirits early was huge.
But at those prices?
Not happening.
Not today.
"Let's go," Riley said.
---
The Harsh Truth
They stepped back into the noisy square. Afternoon light stretched shadows across the cobblestones.
Other players bragged as they passed:
"Made twenty coins off a boar horn!"
"I sold a plant drop for forty!"
"We'll be rich by tomorrow!"
Aria groaned.
"Even the AIR smells like 'you're broke.'"
Sofia lifted her Lumen Pup protectively.
"We'll get there. We just have to work for it."
Riley watched a player buy a Bind Stone. Another bought a sword. Someone else purchased new boots.
Coins meant options.
Coins meant power.
Coins meant progress.
Without money?
They were stuck.
He looked at his sisters.
Aria — dramatic chaos goblin, but loyal to the bone.
Sofia — gentle and steady, the quiet heart of their little trio.
Their Spirits — bright, eager.
And his own Lumin Whelp — tiny, fragile, clinging to him with stubborn warmth.
Not this time.
They would not fall behind.
Aria sighed dramatically.
"I wanted, like… three more Spirits. A snake. A bird. Maybe a tiny dragon."
"Yes," Riley said.
"That is too much to ask right now."
Sofia gave him a look. "You don't have to be that blunt."
Riley stopped walking.
Both girls turned toward him.
"Listen," Riley said quietly, but firmly.
"We want better gear. Better weapons. Aria wants more Spirits. Sofia wants potions and essences. I want us to stay alive when the real content starts."
Aria puffed her chest. "You had me at 'more Spirits.'"
Sofia nodded. "So… what do we do?"
Riley looked past them — toward the gate.
Toward the meadow.
Toward the forest.
Monsters.
Drops.
Quests.
Coins.
He gripped his cheap bow.
"If we want better gear? If you want those Bind Stones?" Riley said.
"We go out there."
He pointed beyond the gate.
"We grind. We quest. We kill monsters. And we sell everything that isn't nailed down."
He looked at them with steady eyes.
"If you want those Bind Stones—
we need to get some coins."