If you ever want to test the limits of a person's sanity, throw them into a VR dungeon crawling with oversized rats.
And give those rats knives.
"HOLY CRAP!" Aiko yelled, spinning in place as one particularly aggressive rodent launched at her head like it had a vendetta.
I zapped it mid-air with a well-aimed bolt, the beast exploding into a puff of pixelated fur and fangs.
"Calm down," I said, adjusting my grip on my staff. "They're scripted to jump-scare newbies. This is psychological warfare, not combat."
"Psychological warfare? That rat just insulted my entire bloodline!"
"You get used to it."
She wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead and pointed down the next hallway.
"How much farther?"
"About four rooms and a staircase." I paused. "And maybe a surprise miniboss."
She groaned. "Can't wait."
The Rat Nest was a beginner-tier dungeon—ChronoRealms' way of separating the curious from the committed. Unlike open fields and fetch quests, this place required actual coordination, trap avoidance, and basic crowd control.
It also had the highest early drop rate for agility gear, which made it Aiko's jackpot if we cleared it.
And since I remembered the spawn patterns and secret stash locations… we were going to clean house.
We crept deeper into the nest.
The environment design still amazed me—even on day one. The walls were slick with moss and mold, the floor covered in cracked stone tiles and hay, the air filled with skittering sounds and distant squeaks. It was disgusting. It was perfect.
"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Aiko muttered, stepping over a suspicious puddle.
"Because you want a cloak that boosts dodge rate and I want a hidden chest that drops a rare ring. Also…" I lowered my voice dramatically, "…the boss here drops the first usable agility weapon in the game."
Aiko perked up. "How usable?"
"Daggers. Dual. Bonus crit chance. Speed boost passive."
She actually smiled.
"You should've started with that."
We entered the second chamber.
Three ratlings spawned with a screech. Small, fast, and armed with rusty daggers, they immediately targeted Aiko.
Which was perfect.
I stood back and let her go to work.
She was still rough—her movement a little stiff, her swings slightly wide—but the core of her skill was already there. She kept her cool, adapted quickly, and flanked naturally.
I offered backup when needed, zapping a rat or healing her once when her HP dipped below 30%. She never asked for help. Never panicked.
By the time the last rat fell, she was breathing hard but grinning.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Just fine." She looted one of the corpses. "Ew. Why does it have… cheese?"
"Don't ask."
We continued through the dungeon, clearing rooms with increasing efficiency. I showed her how to disarm the floor spike trap in room four, and she spotted a hidden crawlspace I forgot about that led to a mini-cache of healing salves.
Our rhythm started to click.
We weren't just two random players anymore.
We were becoming a team.
Finally, we reached the last chamber.
A wide, circular room. Cracked stone floor. A shallow pool of greenish water at the center.
A single large shape shifted in the shadows.
I raised a hand. "Here we go."
The Rat Matron stepped into view.
Massive. Eight feet tall. Gray fur matted with filth. One glowing eye, a curved cleaver in each hand, and a terrifying screech that echoed through the dungeon like a warhorn made of nightmares.
Aiko blinked. "She's… beautiful."
"You're sick."
"Thank you."
The boss fight started hard.
The Rat Matron was fast. Faster than most new players could handle. She attacked in wide arcs and summoned waves of smaller rats at regular intervals.
I kited the adds, using Basic Bolt and my new Ignite passive to burn them down.
Aiko danced around the Matron, testing her dodge timing, striking when openings appeared. She got clipped a few times—once down to nearly 10% HP—but she never stopped moving.
"You good?" I shouted mid-fight.
"I've never been more alive!"
That was the moment I knew she was hooked.
This wasn't just a trial run for her anymore. She was all in.
We finished the fight with a perfectly timed combo—her landing a critical strike to the Matron's leg while I blasted the exposed wound with an empowered bolt. The Matron shrieked one last time and exploded into light.
+920 XP
Dungeon Cleared: The Rat Nest (2-player mode)
Rare Drop Obtained: Matron's Fang (Agility +4, Crit Chance +6%)
Rare Drop Obtained: Ring of Gutter Light (MP Regen +2/sec)
Aiko stood in stunned silence.
Then picked up the daggers.
"Oh my god."
"They're yours," I said, tossing her a celebratory potion. "First kill bonus."
She looked at the blades, then at me.
"I thought you said this game was a grind."
"Oh, it is," I said. "You just skipped a lot of it."
She smirked. "Not bad for day one."
I checked the clock. We still had three hours until the global auction house went live and players started trading anything with a colored border.
"Want to do it again?" I asked. "We could farm it one more time before the respawn cap."
She hesitated.
Then nodded. "Let's farm rats until we're gods."
Now that's the spirit.
As we exited the dungeon, I opened my notebook again.
Aiko: Confirmed. Committed. Natural instincts. Will need refinement, but foundation is solid.
Plan: Keep her engaged. Get her a stealth skill scroll. Prepare for rogue trial in four days.
I closed the book as we reached the exit portal.
Day One wasn't over yet.
But my guild?
It had just gained its first true member.