The square was chaos.
Hundreds of players filled Hollowbrook Village, blinking into existence by the second. They shouted, tested jumps, punched chickens, and flailed at NPCs who refused to acknowledge them.
Kenji stood still, short swords resting against his thighs. He watched the storm unfold with the calm of a veteran raid leader.
SilverFang12: "WHY WON'T THE NPCS TALK???"
KoiPond: "Try registering a card, maybe that unlocks them??"
AshenFox: "I registered a 6♠… got crit boost but no quests. Wtf."
BlueMamba: "There has to be a starter questline. There always is."
Kenji muted the chatter. Noise wouldn't help.
He tried speaking to a guard. The man walked past him like he didn't exist.
[Reputation too low. NPCs will not engage.]
Kenji's jaw tightened. So it was by design. Until you earned recognition, you were a ghost.
A shout cut through the noise.
"ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!"
A bulky player—BruteForce99—was screaming at a blacksmith NPC. Before anyone could stop him, he swung a fist.
The punch connected. The blacksmith staggered.
Silence fell.
Then a guard's spear lashed out in a blur.
One strike.
BruteForce99's HP bar hit zero. His body collapsed, dissolving into ash.
Gasps erupted.
Seconds later, light flared in the square. BruteForce99 respawned, swearing.
But then he opened his inventory, blinked—then laughed.
"HAHA! Still got my card! I registered it earlier!"
Kenji's eyes narrowed. So registered cards stayed even after death.
But above BruteForce99's head, a faint red brand appeared:
[Penalty: Wanted (NPC hostility for 10 minutes)]
Guards scowled at him as he ranted. He had kept his card, yes—but at a cost.
Kenji stored the lesson carefully. Registering was safety. But permanent.
Enough watching.
Kenji turned and walked to the northern gate. Other players rushed past, screaming battle cries, most returning minutes later as respawn ash drifting into the square.
He slipped through quietly. The guards ignored him.
The forest stretched ahead, sunlight breaking through tall trunks, shadows pooling between roots.
A rustle.
Two wolves emerged, fur bristling, eyes glowing yellow.
[Wolf — Lv 1]
Kenji's breath caught. Level one. And yet the air around them was thick with danger.
One lunged. Kenji dodged, but not fast enough. Claws raked his side. His HP bar dropped by a quarter.
"Tch—"
He countered with [Twin Slash]. Blades cut across the wolf's flank, drawing blood. It howled, staggered, but didn't fall.
The second wolf circled, darted in. Kenji pivoted, parried, slashed upward. It yelped, but its jaws snapped inches from his throat.
Every move cost stamina. Every dodge had weight. He couldn't just spam attacks. He had to breathe, manage timing, watch for openings.
The first wolf lunged again. Kenji rolled, barely avoiding fangs at his neck. His HP skimmed red.
His heart hammered. These were level one mobs. And they were this hard.
Minutes of sweat and precision later, both wolves dissolved into ash.
Kenji stood panting, blades slick with fading light.
[Victory: Wolves slain.][+12 EXP][Loot: Wolf Fang (Common)]
He opened his status.
EXP Bar: [12 / 100]
Kenji froze. Two wolves. A brutal fight. And only twelve points.
"…I'll need to kill dozens just to hit level two," he muttered.
Leveling wasn't just slow—it was merciless.
Behind him, screams echoed deeper in the forest. Other players were dying left and right, their arrogance punished instantly. Respawn lights flickered constantly back in the village.
Kenji tightened his grip on his swords, chest still heaving.
He had survived. Barely.
And yet… a thin smile tugged at his lips.
This wasn't easy. It wasn't forgiving.
But this was his kind of world.