Chapter 18

Ethan Grey regretted missing the livestream, a rare downer, but his own game's complexity demanded undivided attention. "Just a few more days," he mused, "and the D-level Central Realm will be a breeze."

He leaned back in his office chair and pulled up the mission dashboard. With his high access level, he could view some foundational data, though not the plot specifics.

Nathan York was checking the mission too and cursed out loud, "Damn, it's those Twinblade Sect jerks!"

Independent designers like Ethan were uncommon; most were absorbed by larger collectives that pooled diverse talents to create expansive virtual worlds. Cloud Pavilion was one such collective, albeit smaller and notoriously more ruthless than Twinblade Sect.

"They're also known as 'Newblade Sect,' infamous for their brutal newbie slaughters to harvest substantial rewards," Nathan grimaced as he spoke.

"Little Rose is in deep trouble," Nathan added, his brow furrowed with concern. "These lower-tier Central Realms have strict access controls, and we can't intervene directly."

"It's all under control," Ethan reassured him with a calm smile.

"Are you that sure?" Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Did Little Rose snag some incredible reward?" Completing an S-level Central Realm always granted a special prize, determined entirely by chance.

"Summoning spell," Ethan replied casually.

"Old Z is really scraping the bottom of the barrel, huh? Calling that a special reward?" Nathan scoffed, referencing the central algorithm that governed their universe.

"Wait a sec..." Nathan paused, a hint of suspicion in his tone. "It couldn't possibly summon a sacred beast, could it?"

"Do I look like a sacred beast to you?" Ethan quipped, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Nathan almost shot back with "you old trickster" but bit his tongue.

"Are you kidding me?" the silver-haired elf laughed uproariously. "Little Rose's special reward is summoning you? What insane luck!" Elite characters listed in Old Z's summoning system had notoriously low draw rates; snagging one was almost unheard of.

Summoning spells ignored the usual level restrictions. Normally, Ethan wouldn't be allowed into an S-level, let alone a D-level. But a summon could bring him into the lowest F-level at his peak strength.

A fully-powered Shadowmaster Ethan was an unstoppable force.

Nathan's concerns vanished. The small fries of D-level Central Realm or even the full Twinblade Sect wouldn't stand a chance against Ethan in his prime.

Nathan exhaled, half in awe, "Little Rose's luck is truly otherworldly."

"It's not just luck," Ethan said with a low-key smirk, "it's destiny. When destiny kicks in, it bulldozes all obstacles."

Ethan's unabashed confidence made Nathan roll his eyes.

"You guys go on and get started on the next quest; I'll wait for him," Ethan concluded.

Nathan muttered as he walked away, "So sweet, it's giving me cavities."

Meanwhile, Jack was intently reviewing his mission board. Integrating the game's overview with the main quest, he suspected a dragon might be hidden in a cave behind the town, and his mission was likely to slay it—a classic hero versus villain scenario.

"Simple enough," he thought, comparing it to the complicated romantic entanglements of other quests. "How can anyone manage four relationships and still keep things sweet?"

Suddenly, Ethan's favorability score dropped a point.

Jack then checked the side quests, which were awaiting updates. He tapped the interface, and a new mission in blue text appeared: "Track the Tornado."

"Track a tornado? How's that supposed to work?" Jack pondered, recalling the details he had seen on the holographic display. Unlike main quests, side quests were tiered by difficulty and rarity, indicated by colors from white to gold.

In a D-level Central Realm, a blue side quest was top-tier, promising substantial rewards. But the vagueness of tracking a tornado made success uncertain.

Jack continued reading; this quest had no save points—death here meant a permanent exit. He could only carry three items, choosing the most likely useful ones from his overstuffed backpack.

The special privileges option was grayed out, likely due to the low level of the game, indicating no boosts were available.

Confident he had everything figured out, Jack turned off the mission board, and the surroundings brightened dramatically.

"Watch out!" Jonas's urgent voice rang out.

Before Jack could fully adjust his vision, a sharp, metallic scent of blood hit him.

"What the hell?" His eyes narrowed as they adapted to the glaring noon sun.

"Jonas!" Jack rushed to his side, shocked at the gaping wound in his chest.

"I..." Jonas tried to speak, but blood filled his mouth, silencing him.

His eyes widened in shock, his body shook violently, and he made a gurgling noise...

"Don't talk, I'll stop the bleeding!" Jack insisted.

Jonas used his last bit of strength to clutch Jack's arm, managing to gasp out his final words: "Be careful."

With that, Jonas's head tilted, and he died.

Jack hadn't expected to encounter danger so soon. He furrowed his brow, studying the wound...

"Murder! There's been a murder!" a girl screamed, causing a crowd to gather.

"He's gone mad, Blair Summers has gone mad!"

"Grab him, quick!"

"Oh..." someone else gagged, "so much blood..."

Blair Summers had never been one to stomach the sight of blood, much less the act of taking a life. Yet now, Jack stood amidst a bloodbath, unfazed—a testament to how the previous game had toughened him. Still, the abrupt death of Jonas had caught him off guard. Jack had never felt particularly close to Jonas, who he viewed with a mix of suspicion and reserve, but his sudden death was nonetheless a shock.

The rules of this game prohibited saving progress, and the uniform they'd purchased was meant to grant immunity from a fatal blow. Had Jonas forgotten to wear it, or had something else gone awry?

Before he could dwell on these thoughts, Jack was forcefully grabbed by two burly villagers and trussed up, then hauled into a subterranean cell.

"Fairy Tale Town," he mused darkly, "seems less and less like a fairy tale."

As he wiped the blood from his garments, Jack pondered his predicament. He was playing as Blair Summers, and after finding Jonas's body next to him, the villagers had mistaken him for the murderer and locked him up amidst the chaos. With no opportunity to resist, he'd had no choice but to comply.

What about the other players? Besides him and Jonas, there were supposed to be eight more. Were they lost in the crowd, or had they awakened in different locations?

Being mistaken for a murderer right upon entering the game complicated his mission to uncover the Dragon Heart. Was Jonas truly dead?

Despite the upheaval, the events had not muddled Jack's thinking; rather, they honed his focus and calmed him. He knew he couldn't afford to underestimate the situation, even in a seemingly low-stakes D-level game.

He examined his surroundings: an old, cold, damp cage with rusty bars that reeked of metal.

Suddenly, a timid voice pierced the gloom. "Could you... give me your underwear?"

Jack Avery: "???"

He whirled around to face a quivering form in the shadowy corner of the cell. Although it was too dark to see clearly, Jack's night vision, a perk of his Collector class, allowed him to discern the essentials.

He saw a young man, seventeen or eighteen, with a visage marred by long-term deprivation and injuries—his thin arms were wrapped in scars as stark and serpentine as the branches of a twisted tree.

His large eyes, filled with fear and misted with tears, conveyed utter misery.

Jack almost doubted his ears. How could such a forlorn figure have the audacity to make such a request?

The young man burst into a soul-wrenching sob, "Miss, please, I beg you. I'll kneel and bow three times. Just a pair of underwear!"

Jack: "..." He hadn't misheard. This was sheer lunacy.

The young man's cries intensified, "I miss my home so much, my mom, my dad, and my dogs, Big Yellow and Little Green, QAQ!" This was no feigned distress; his wails were agonizingly genuine.

Jack initially wanted to dismiss him, but found himself unable to completely ignore the plea.

Upon giving the young man another glance, he seized the moment to wail even louder, "Please, just one pair, that's all I ask. Be kind, fairy sister!"

Jack Avery: "..." He'd encountered beggars before, but never one begging for such an item.

This odd request could mean the young man was a pivotal character. Jack, suppressing his irritation, clarified, "I'm a man."

"A man?" The youth jumped, scrutinizing Jack in disbelief before exclaiming, "How can a man be so beautiful!"

Jack squinted suspiciously.

The young man's demeanor deflated, "How can you be a man... I only collect from ladies..."

The term 'collect' struck a chord with Jack Avery. "A player?"

The young man gasped, rushing forward, "A fellow player?"

Jack Avery: "..." No one wanted to be associated with him like that.

Tears filled the young man's eyes as he introduced himself, "I'm Simon Quinn, a Novice Level Collector..."

Was this true? Jack asked incredulously, "Your main quest isn't by any chance..."

Simon, pained by the question, lamented, "As soon as I get back, I'm changing my class. I never want to be a Collector again. I'm a decent person, why should I be collecting young girls' underwear like some pervert!"