I took a deep breath, trying to push all my thoughts out of my head. Right now, I needed to focus on the game. I was already at level 15, which seemed like a small achievement. But I couldn't stop there.
I had to keep moving forward, exploring new locations, encountering new monsters, and making new discoveries.
That's what I loved most about the game: the sense of exploration, the feeling that there was always something new to discover, and the freedom to choose how to approach each challenge.
Fritte and I stopped by a merchant. An old NPC dressed in a faded cloak handed her an updated semi-transparent map with a sly grin, barely hearing the sound of coins.
I ran my fingers over the map with interest: the lines were clear, marking new paths and symbols that hinted at the dangers ahead. But my joy was short-lived.
—Eh!
I sighed, noticing the price tags on the armor and rare potions.
—I still don't have enough Veil's.
The coins in my inventory seemed laughably small compared to the merchant's prices. I had to postpone purchasing anything significant.
I turned around almost immediately and left the stuffy tent, which smelled of old wood and herbs, feeling drawn to the road.
Outside, I took out the map and unfolded it in front of me. The small, almost glowing symbols slowly came to life on the surface of the parchment. The central road stretched ahead, but soon split into two branches.
—Well, here we go... As always, I'll have to make a choice.
The first road led directly to the foot of Mount Adalaza. But to call it a normal mountain would be too simple, in fact it was a giant petrified anthill, ancient and dead, but still containing strange secrets.
Huge winding tunnels frozen in time formed a tangled labyrinth, and no one had yet managed to complete it. Game scrolls and records warned that the interior was filled with deadly traps, strange anomalies, and enemies that were stronger than anything players had encountered on the plains.
However, the reward for taking the risk was considerable, as passing through Adalaza would lead to the hidden mountain village of Kluefit, which was the subject of many rumors.
It was said that there were ancient forges and secret artisans who were willing to craft equipment from the rarest materials.
The second path led in the opposite direction, deep into the gray lands, where strange symbols appeared on the map, representing the remains of the Abandoned Laboratories of the Golden Age.
No one remembered who built them or why, but every player knew that this place held traces of technology and magic that had long since disappeared from the world.
The laboratories were filled with dilapidated halls, time-rotted machinery, and eerie experiments that had once gone out of control.
Navigating through them was a test of endurance, as players encountered not only monsters but also incomprehensible mysteries.
If you managed to survive and solve them, you would find your way to the mysterious region of Prieklere, shrouded in darkness and secrets.
I ran my finger over the map and bit my lip for a moment. On one side was Adalaza, a majestic petrified labyrinth where every step could be my last, but it held the promise of great discoveries and the chance to obtain stronger weapons.
On the other was the laboratory, whose name alone sent a chill down my spine, as if there was something hidden there that I should not disturb.
Of the two options, the Abandoned Laboratories of the Golden Age were the least desirable. Even experienced players wrote on forums that it was better not to go there without a well-leveled group and powerful equipment.
The name "Golden Age" itself sounded deceptively grand, as if it should have been a legacy of greatness, but the reality was far darker.
The laboratories looked like huge scars on the world's body, a reminder of something that humanity would rather forget.
Although the game remained a fantasy at its core, there was a hint of something more, as if the magical elements were a clue to a much larger catastrophe.
These zones were clearly the remnants of a massive apocalypse that had occurred long before the story began. However, no one knew exactly what had caused it.
There were dozens of crazy theories circulating on the forums. Some claimed that the game's world had been cursed by the gods, who had wiped out entire civilizations, leaving players as mere shadows of their former selves.
Others suggested that the true truth was even more terrifying. According to one theory I once read, aliens had arrived on Earth.
They allegedly reduced humans to the size of insects in order to expand the planet's space and resources, turning it into a gigantic "reservoir" for their own needs.
It was believed that it was the aliens who left behind strange structures and dilapidated machines, which now rusted and rotted in the depths of the laboratories.
Their technology was so alien and incomprehensible that even magic did not interact well with them. Players who managed to get deeper, told on the forums about artificial creatures that attacked without warning, or about the incomprehensible glowing panels, on which it was possible to see mysterious symbols, as if not intended for the human eye.
Perhaps it's just a rumor or an atmosphere-building tactic by players who like to speculate about the story.
Or maybe it's the answer to one of the game's biggest mysteries: why were all the NPCs and players reduced to the size of grapes?
If the alien theory is even half-true... it makes me feel sick.
Still, there was a sense of excitement within me. Even if there was a risk, and it was a significant one, the laboratories might hold the key to unraveling the entire story... so I won't go there!
I needed to improve my weapons, and the only option was to go to the anthill to level up and collect materials and money to eventually reach that people. Maybe there are stronger weapons in the mountains.