"Have fun chatting while I go get us some food!" Potux's parting words replayed in Impo's mind as he sat motionless on the bench.
D.K. and Ruler sat across from Impo. Ruler studied the young man with a cold piercing gaze, sharp enough to cut through Impo's skin. D.K. on the other hand seemed to have more interest in the birds flying over his head.
The look in Ruler's eyes reminded him of his aunty Lei, the mother of his oldest half-brother Jun. If Ruler was anywhere near the tyrant she was, he'd leave this party the moment he could.
Surrounded by fellow players laughing heartily, Impo thought to crack a joke, but considering the current audience, elected to simply wait for Potux to return with their order, afraid he'd fail and come off as a nuisance.
Both D.K. and Ruler had fallen silent the moment Potux intervened in their fight, explaining Impo and he were their remaining party members. Impo had caught Ruler complaining under her breath in Korean.
"I guess we don't seem like the toughest pair of players…" he had thought.
"My fellow party members!" Potux finally said, breaking the silence as he walked to the table. "I took a peek inside the kitchen. It's filled with NPC's sweating their butts off! One of them even slipped on the grease. I mean, was there really any need to code that?"
Impo scooted over so Potux could sit. A piping hot plate stacked with barbecue ribs was placed in the middle. Archspire pulled no punches, the aroma alone was to die for.
"Now hold on a moment," Potux said, raising a hand. "I know everyone's eager to dig in, but we should get a grasp of our team. I'm a Pala-"
Before he could finish, Ruler slammed her brass knuckles onto the table with a metallic clang, while D.K simply gestured toward the bear cub beside him. "His name is Ahmet." To them, that was introduction enough.
Potux blinked, then chuckled and took a bite himself. "A fighter, monk-"
"Rogue," Ruler corrected.
"Ranger, and paladin, eh? Balanced enough for a game without mages, I'd say," Potux finished.
Ruler crossed her arms, glaring at the amount of ribs like they'd personally offended her. "All of us start with twenty-five gold each. I advise you to be frugal, old man."
Potux licked his lips. "Money's purpose is to be spent. Besides, didn't you two just pig out on steaks?"
Ruler gave Ahmet and his owner a deadly glare as she cussed in her own language. "The bear sure did…"
The bear cub lay sprawled beneath D.K.'s chair, licking sauce off his snout and paws.
With his eyes locked on the baby blue sky, D.K. chuckled: "He's a growing boy. He better be. Besides, he's part of the team."
Ruler swiftly smacked D.K.'s chest, startling him into a straighter position. "Then he should start pulling some gold from that fur of his," she snapped. "I didn't join to be part of some casual squad. Rumor goes that the winner of ArchSpire gets a reward of their choosing. Seeing the billions that must've been spent on this game, I can't imagine a limit…"
Impo glanced nervously between them. He felt a lot more comfortable when it was just Potux and him. Hearing Ruler's words reminded him how moving to the United States had done him good. Coming from a family that's beyond well off, he had to get used to others who couldn't get all the things money could buy. He spent the last year shedding that unwanted layer off his soul.
That being said, the lack of faith Ruler seemed to already have in the party irked him. Lost in his own thoughts, Impo took a bite out of a rib. He was familiar with this sort of table. Food tastes different in bad company, no matter how much effort the chef puts in.
Now, it felt like any other lunch he was forced to have with his siblings. The only difference was that no one spoke about their superiority. Scholarships, promotions, awards, million dollar deals, Impo's siblings seemed to lay them like eggs. Never having achieved anything of note, it was no wonder he'd stick out like a sore thumb in the family.
But he didn't join Archspire for this. A vein popped on his temple as he stared back at Ruler. "You look strong, but more importantly, fast. What martial arts do you perform?"
Ruler raised a brow. "When did I say I do martial arts?"
"You have a toned body and strong posture. I noticed you like to keep your feet firm on the ground, even when sitting down. When you hit D.K. just now, the movement flowed through your back, and although it was explosive, you put the brakes on it before you made contact. No ordinary woman moves like that. As far as I can tell, Archspire has given me no techniques yet, so you probably entered the game with those skills. I'm guessing either boxing or muay-thai."
All three looked at Impo, with Potux dropping what he chewed on. Ruler took her time to process what he just said. "I do mixed-martial arts… I have a background in muay-thai and kick-boxing. How were you able to tell so quickly? You're too scrawny to be a fighter yourself."
"My sister…" Impo said. "She was into it."
The bells of the cathedral loudly rang thrice. "We should get a move on," Impo said. "What if there's a limited time event!"
D.K jolted up: "You really think they'd do that!?"
Potux stretched his back. "I'm about finished. Let's get to business, youngsters! DRIP Squad - roll out!"
"DRIP Squad…?" Ruler asked, like the name took a chunk out of her lifebar.
The seasoned gentleman stroked his goatee with a self-satisfied smile. "D.K., Ruler, Impo, Potux. Our initials form the acronym DRIP. Also, it means we have a great sense of fashion."
Ruler spared her breath, with D.K. asking: "How do you know what drip means, old man?"
"I have two daughters - tend to catch a term or two," Potux waited a second before ending his sentence with "son". D.K. smiled, appreciating the fact his party member didn't mind clapping back.
It took fifteen minutes of running to reach the door. Three of them stood shoulder to shoulder at the gate, with Impo panting a hundred feet behind, trying to catch up. "Too much… too much realism… Why did they include fatigue…? Help me…"
But to his surprise, he regained his energy in a couple of breaths, wondering if it was some kind of skill that came with his class. Ruoxing remembered the grueling physical lessons and relentless regimen forced upon him growing up. He had abandoned them the moment he left home, perfectly content to trade strength for comfort.
The grand cathedral loomed before them, its towering spires piercing the sky. The stained glass windows shimmered in hues of ruby, sapphire and emerald, casting fragmented rainbows over the cobblestone plaza. A pair of double doors, each at least fifteen feet tall, stood open, revealing a warm golden light that bathed the interior.
The moment Impo stepped inside, the scent of incense and aged wood filled his nose. Sunlight poured through high-arched windows and danced along the polished marble floor, where long red carpets guided the way down the nave. Wooden pews, populated by other players, creaked under the weight of rustling armor and weapons. The air buzzed, not just with reverence, but with nerves. The players had begun to realize that Archspire was not a little, but a lot different from what they expected.
While Impo took in the scenery, for a second his vision cut as Ruler phased through him. He jumped aside, startled. "We can move through each other here… Is it to prevent PvP? Then this must be a safe-zone."
At the far end of the cathedral stood the high altar, and before it, her back to the congregation, a tall woman endowed in chainmail armor with a five foot claymore at her side. Her long, silver-blonde hair flowed like a waterfall. She turned as they approached.
"I welcome you to Lady Lilith's Cathedral," she said, voice soft as silk. "I am Eclaire, High Priestess of the First Floor."
Her tone, though serene, carried weight. She held her hands together near her chest, and her amber eyes shone like dim candles. A supermodel of an NPC, Impo assumed. She had too much grace to be a player.
Ruler narrowed her eyes. "This AI's facial tracking is impressive."
Potux stepped forward and gave a gallant bow. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady~."
Eclaire's lips curved into a faint smile, but her gaze lingered on Potux for just a moment too long. "You arrived just in time," she said. "We are in need of your help."
"We're listening," said D.K., leaning on his bow like a cane. Ahmet sniffed at the base of a column, then sneezed.
"There is a patch of red starberries deep within the Paean Forest to the west. They are sacred to our rituals and healing rites. I ask that you retrieve one pouch worth of them and return to me. You will be compensated in coin and favor."
"A fetch quest," Ruler bemoaned.
"Think of it as a tutorial," said Potux cheerfully.
Impo nodded slowly, but his eyes wandered. As the rest of the group accepted the quest prompt, he scanned the other players inside the cathedral. Dozens of them milled around in groups or knelt in prayer, probably roleplaying. He noticed a man standing alone beneath one of the stained-glass windows.
The man towered above the crowd, broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, built like someone who could lift a boulder over his head and then throw it at you. His curly brown hair was messy, and a five o'clock shadow ran down the lower half of his face. His in-game name tag read: Emilio.
He wasn't doing anything. Just… watching. His eyes were what caught Impo: kind, yet sharp, like a blade sheathed in velvet. There was an air of stillness to him, but it didn't feel passive. It was the stillness of a predator watching the wind. When their eyes briefly met, Impo quickly looked away, heart kicking up a beat. He didn't know why, but the man unnerved him.
"Impo," Potux said, nudging him gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he muttered.
Ruler had already started walking toward the doors again. "Let's get this over with. The faster we're done, the sooner we can get to the good stuff."
D.K. rolled his shoulders and whistled for Ahmet, who bounded after him on stubby paws. "I want to see if this forest has any monsters worth a damn. We need EXP."
Potux smiled and pulled a meat rib from a satchel at his belt, tossing it to Ahmet, who caught it mid-air. "A good warm-up for DRIP Squad."
"I still hate that name," Ruler sighed.
Impo followed the others, taking one last glance at the cathedral and at Eclaire, who now watched them with an expression that almost looked… worried.
Outside, the light had started to shift to afternoon. The village square was beginning to quiet as more players funneled into the cathedral, or sat in quiet huddles planning their next moves. The wind picked up, stirring Impo's black hair. He reached up and absently tucked a strand behind his ear.
They passed the blacksmith, who was aggressively hammering a sword that glowed red-hot. One player shouted from a rooftop: "I FOUND A SECRET NPC WHO GIVES A COOKING QUEST!" before slipping and landing in a hay bale with a squeal of pain and laughter.
They walked past the stable, where a player tried, unsuccessfully, to ride a horse backwards.
It all felt oddly alive.
Eventually, the cobblestone gave way to dirt, and the trees ahead rose high, their green canopy casting shadows across the path. The Paean Forest waited, its entrance like a yawning mouth swallowing light.
Impo took a breath and stepped in.
Moss clung to the tree trunks in dark, spongy blotches. Shafts of dusty light pierced through the thick canopy, illuminating flecks of pollen suspended in still air.
The deeper they went, the more the outside world slipped away. The sounds of the village faded behind them, replaced by the howling of trees, and the occasional birdcall. The dirt path beneath their boots was uneven, littered with gnarled roots and the crunch of dry leaves.
Impo found himself trailing behind the group. His meteor hammers hung from his hips, it suddenly felt heavier than before, now that they'd been on foot for some time. Potux had naturally taken his position at the vanguard, leading at a steady pace, radiating calm purpose, one hand resting near his shield.
D.K. and Ahmet took the initiative whenever the trail forked or narrowed. His movements were quiet. Although he wasn't as trained as Ruler, it was obvious D.K. took care of himself back in the real world. The bear cub, small but fiercely alert, was somehow always where D.K. needed him to be. Impo wondered if he had any control over it.
Ruler filled in the spaces D.K. left behind. Her eyes were scanning, brass knuckles tight on her fingers, itching to respond to any looming danger.
Impo glanced at his party from the rear and quietly sighed. He didn't know what his role was supposed to be. He wasn't fast like D.K., or precise like Ruler, or composed like Potux. He was just there, the fourth name on a menu. He wanted to say something, do something, be someone.
But he was too busy not tripping on a root.
"You're too loud," Ruler's voice, albeit a whisper, cut through the air.
Impo flinched. "Huh?"
"Your footsteps," she said, glancing back. "You're stomping like you're trying to scare off every monster in a ten-mile radius."
"Sorry," he muttered, heart stinging a little. "I thought we were looking for berries?"
Ruler stopped walking. She turned, eyeing him up and down like a blade she was measuring for quality. "Have you never played an MMO before? Half of the EXP coming from a fetch quest is gained by farming monsters…"
Impo knew this.
Ruler continued. "Kid, haven't you realised? Archspire isn't like those other VRMMORPGs where your character or level compensates for your body. You carry in who you really are. Your posture, your reflexes, your real strength. It all comes with you."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning this game doesn't lie to you. And it's not gonna lie for you either. Just go back to the village, the bear can cover for you."
D.K. chuckled.
Potux glanced back, frowning. "Ruler…"
"No," she said, not angry, but brutally matter-of-fact. "He looks like he's one hit away from uninstalling."
Impo's jaw clenched, shame twisting in his gut. He wanted to say something sharp, something clever. But all that came to mind was the truth.
She was not wrong.
"I can hold my own," he said, softer than he meant.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Hey," D.K.'s voice rang from ahead, serious now. "Over here."
They converged where he stood, crouched beside a tree. Ahmet sniffed at the bark, then let out a low, cautious growl.
Claw marks, deep and angry, tore through the bark. Three long gouges, low to the ground, like something sharp and hungry had passed through.
"Wolves," Ruler said, kneeling down.
"Goblins?" Impo offered, trying to keep his voice light.
"No," D.K. muttered, narrowing his eyes. "That would be too generic."
…
They came screaming from the bushes, shrieking in a language made of knives and filth. Six of them, maybe more, eyes glowing yellow under their low hoods, weapons cobbled from bone and rusted iron. There were no health bars. Just hunger.
Everything happened in blinks.
Impo's body moved before his mind caught up.
He ducked the first strike, sheer instinct, the goblin's blade slicing air in front of his face. His arms lifted as if pulled by strings, he met the second strike with his meteor hammers. Sparks flew on contact. The jolt from impact was real, heavy and painful. The goblin screeched and reeled back.
"Impo, fall back! Don't overextend!" Potux called, radiant light pouring from his shield as he bashed a goblin into the dirt with a blinding clang. His voice firm, the voice of someone who'd been in real fights before.
Ruler vanished into the trees like smoke. A heartbeat later, a goblin fell, the imprint of her brass knuckle left in his skull. She reappeared, blood already spattered on her cloak.
D.K. had already loosed an arrow, dead-center into a goblin's forehead. Ahmet, all fury and fluff, charged a second one, barreling into its legs and knocking it off balance just in time for another arrow to pierce its neck.
Impo hesitated, watching them work. He wanted to help.
He needed to help.
His pulse pounded in his ears as he re-entered the fray. One goblin charged him, howling. He raised his meteor hammers to meet it–
…then flinched at the last second.
The goblin darted under his guard.
Pain…
A white-hot line cut into his side as the goblin's dagger slid under his arm, deep into the soft tissue between his ribs. The sound left his lungs in a choking gasp. His weapon dropped to the ground. His knees buckled.
It wasn't a red flash on a screen. It wasn't a haptic buzz.
It was pure pain.
A sharp, searing agony that twisted through his torso like fire licking through paper. The world spun. He staggered, then fell hard onto his side, mouth open but no breath escaping.
He tried to call out.
Nothing.
"IMPO!" Potux's voice cracked the air like thunder.
"Get him out, now!" Ruler commanded.
The last things he saw were the flashes of light and steel, the silhouettes of his party converging around him. His vision dimmed like a dying flame. Sounds turned into echoes - then nothing.
Only one voice remained.
It didn't belong to Archspire.
It belonged to the real world.
His father's.
The last thing he'd said before Ruoxing boarded the plane to the United States of America.
"You're a failure…"
END OF CHAPTER 2