It had been a week since they first logged off. To say Ryoichi and Uraume weren't addicted would've been a lie—they had spent the past seven days grinding countless random quests, from slaying goblins to fetching obscure items buried deep in caves or guarded by weak mobs. Despite the repetition, the game had become a routine they both enjoyed. It was fun… until it wasn't.
After all that effort, both of them had finally hit level twenty. But once they reached it, they noticed a shift. The grind got harder. Weak-level quests barely gave any experience now, and leveling up began to feel like a distant goal. No matter how many enemies they slayed, the satisfying chime of progress rarely came.
At the moment, Ryoichi and Uraume were in the middle of a fight against a rogue group of goblins. The monsters had ambushed them while they were returning to turn in another forgettable quest. But the goblins didn't stand a chance.
With a lazy flick of his hand, Ryoichi unleashed an invisible slash that tore through a dozen of the creatures. He didn't react—his face was blank as he watched their ragdoll bodies crumple. His mind, however, wasn't in the game.
A shiver ran through him.
'Damn,' he thought. 'All these things remind me of that old anime with the goblins and that slayer… Now, I can't unsee them as anything but disgusting monsters that deserve no mercy.'
Lost in that memory, he barely noticed Uraume finishing off the rest. With practiced precision, she cast a newly-learned ice spell—Avalanche. A wave of snow and ice roared through the remaining goblins, freezing them in place before shattering their bodies into glittering shards.
"Not bad," she said, admiring the aftermath.
When she turned to brag, she found Ryoichi standing still, two arms on his hips, the other two crossed over his chest. His avatar's expression was unreadable—as all avatars were in YGGDRASIL due to legal limitations on facial emotes—but his posture screamed boredom.
[IMAGE]
She approached him and asked, "Thinking about something?"
Ryoichi blinked, dragged out of his thoughts. He glanced at his friend. Of course, what he had been thinking about wasn't important—but if he said nothing, she'd nag him about it.
"Just thinking…" he said slowly. "Isn't this getting kind of stale? We've done the same quests for a week. Maybe it's time we traveled to another realm. Something new."
Uraume crossed her arms. "I know what you mean. I'm sick of these quests too. But where would we even go?"
Ryoichi perked up. "What about Hel—"
"If you're about to say Helheim," she cut in, "you can stop right there. That place needs you to be level sixty just to survive. Unless you want to reset back to level one, pick something else."
He sighed and opened his menu, scrolling through the available realms. Most suggested levels far above theirs—some weren't finished beiny developed yet, others required special gear to survive in the realm. But then, one realm caught his eye.
"Asgard," he said. "Looks like we're the right level now."
Uraume leaned over to look at his screen. Her eyes lit up. "That's where the Norse gods lived, right? My dad used to tell me stories about it. Sounds way more interesting than this dump."
She opened her own menu, selected Asgard, and chose the least dangerous spawn point available.
"Let's go with the grasslands," she said.
"Alright."
With their destination set, both clicked the transfer button. An animation unfolded, showing their avatars traversing the great branches of Yggdrasil, passing through the multiverse to reach the land of the gods.
When the scene faded, they found themselves standing in a vast field of green. The grass swayed gently in the wind beneath a golden sky. It was beautiful.
But before Ryoichi could take it in, a notification popped up.
[Your race is in the Heteromorphic category. If you proceed, a -10 debuff will be applied to your stats for entering a positive karma location.]
[Do you still wish to proceed?]
[YES / NO]
Uraume peeked over at his screen and frowned. "That's such a dumb penalty," she muttered. "I told you that picking a Heteromorphic race would bite you eventually."
He didn't reply. Instead, Ryoichi opened his character menu and toggled a racial ability. His four arms receded into two. The armored plating over his face folded away, revealing a more human appearance. His size shrank down to just under six feet. His monstrous form melted away, leaving behind a humanoid figure with spiky pink hair and four eyes.
The warning disappeared.
"You could do that the whole time?!" Uraume exclaimed, half-incredulous, half-annoyed.
"Uh… yeah? I thought I told you," Ryoichi replied, feigning innocence.
Uraume turned away with an exaggerated pout.
"Hey, don't be annoyed," he said quickly. "This form has a big drawback. I lose access to my racial skills."
She narrowed her eyes, but the explanation softened her mood. With a sigh, she nodded.
"Fine. Let's just get going."
They spent the next thirty minutes exploring Asgard's outskirts. Eventually, they stumbled upon a bustling human town—unlike anything they'd seen in Midgard. NPCs wore colorful robes, shining armor, and flowing capes. Demi-humans mingled with humanoids in ornate marketplaces.
It was a welcome change from the bland world of Midgard.
As they wandered through the town's downtown district, Uraume suddenly stopped and grabbed Ryoichi's shoulder.
"Hey, look! That guy is so adorable!"
He followed her gaze and spotted a squirrel-like creature in a miniature messenger outfit. It was collapsed in an alley, panting heavily.
Uraume's eyes sparkled. Without hesitation, she approached the creature and knelt beside it, offering some edible nuts she had picked up back in Midgard.
The squirrel sniffed the nuts, let out a series of delighted squeaks, and snatched them from her hand, devouring them ravenously.
Ryoichi tilted his head. "Where's this going?" he muttered.
When the creature finished eating, it looked up at them—and spoke.
"Thanks for the meal, friend!" it chirped. "I've been so busy lately, I haven't had a proper meal in days. Since you were so kind, I'll repay you with a gift!"
[You have fed Ratatosk, Messenger of the Norse Gods. He offers you one of three rewards:]
– [Hidden Quest: ???]
– [Golden Nut: A rare and valuable item]
– [Divine Item – Infinite Pouch: Stores an unlimited number of items]
Uraume glanced at the choices. While the nut and pouch were tempting, her curiosity tugged her toward the unknown.
"I'll take the hidden quest," she said.
A brief animation played. A new screen appeared.
[Hidden Quest – Ratatosk's Expedition]
As thanks for your kindness, Ratatosk has given you a secret map leading to extraordinary power.
Neither of them knew it yet, but this moment—this tiny, chance encounter—would change everything.
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How'd everyone like the chapter? Sorry it was late but I was very busy Monday so I didn't have enough time. The next chapter should be next week on Monday. Hope to see you guys there.
Power stones=Motivation