Our pitiful stamina forced us to slow from a jog to a walk, and after what felt like an endless trek, we finally left the cover of the forest. A vast plateau stretched out before us, rolling on as far as the eye could see.

“I know an exploit here that should still work,” I whispered, leaning close to Lucas. “But be careful—the monsters are around level four.” I stepped lightly to the edge of the forest, feeling the thrill of stepping into unknown danger. The last rays of the setting sun glinted off the treetops, but soon even that faint light faded, and an eerie, drawn-out whistle broke the silence.

The night came alive with the brutal sounds of red foxes tearing into their prey. These nocturnal monsters dominated the plateau after dark, ripping apart the poor gray wolves that roamed the area by day. Nodding to Lucas, I motioned him to move, as the wolves’ pained whimpers echoed all around us.

“Let’s go!” I urged, giving his arm a tug, and we crept forward, tiptoeing. The chilling sounds of carnage echoed in every direction. “Faster! If we linger too long, the foxes will eat us alive!” It felt nothing like QA testing; back then, dying was inconsequential. Here, every sound, every danger, felt real. Was this the true draw of a live game?

The air was icy, biting through our flimsy gear, but finally, I spotted our goal—a small clearing, familiar from my test runs. I gestured to Lucas to lie low, and we dropped to the ground just in time. A colossal red fox, easily twice our size, prowled close, sniffing the air. It was terrifyingly close, its fur a deep crimson in the moonlight, its powerful frame moving with predatory grace.

Lucas crept closer than I would’ve liked, his side pressed against mine as he whispered in my ear, “Charlie, you’re insane. My spark spell maxes out at 6 damage—it’d take me two hours to kill that thing, and I’d be out of mana way before that.”

A triumphant grin spread across my face. “True, my dear mage. You’d need a full party with decent gear for this boss. But with my exploit, you can take it down, even if it takes a couple of days. Frexie drops some valuable loot, like crafting materials. And most importantly, there’s a special beer recipe. Whoever scores the first kill has a guaranteed chance to get it, and we could make hundreds of gold brewing that beer.”

Lucas blinked, then gave me a side hug, chuckling. “Damn, Charlie, when there’s booze involved, you’re first in line.” Before I could push him off, our whispered scheming was interrupted by intense cries of battle piercing the still night.

We broke apart quickly, ducking low and creeping back from Frexie’s territory, hiding in the cover of nearby bushes. My heart pounded as I felt a surge of instinctive fear. The night air was thick with tension, and my hands shook a bit. I used to be a fearless champion of Izatiel…

“Ah, two lovebirds at level one, sneaking around the dark forest! How romantic!” A high-pitched female voice rang out from behind us. “But there’s no time for romance, sweethearts. Frexie is ours, and don’t even think about sabotaging us.”

How had I missed her approach? Me, a former warrior known for vigilance. Oh, right. Level-one priestess. Anger flared up, hot and fast, and I gripped my pitiful staff so hard it bent.

The girl wasn’t alone—she had a full team with her. From a quick scan, I counted two tanks, a paladin, two mages — including her —, and two healers. A solid setup for taking down a high-level boss. It was impressive; the game had only been live for a few hours, so they were likely a well-prepared guild. I remembered Ian’s advice: Never mess with a guild. Wait… wasn’t he also playing the live game?

I nodded silently, retreating. But not Lucas. He glared at her, his face twisted in stubborn defiance. I shot him a warning glance, but he’d already started, his voice low and challenging. “Who do you think you are? We were here first!”

My heart raced again, the familiar panic seeping in. I wanted to stop him, to say something—anything—but the words wouldn’t come. My mouth opened, but no sound escaped. Why did this game feel so real that I was having a full-blown panic attack?

Lucas’s remark only seemed to fuel her anger. She stomped over, glaring daggers. “Who am I? You really don’t know who you’re dealing with, do you?” Her voice echoed through the trees, and in the distance, a howl pierced the night. The commotion had attracted the monsters. Nice move, genius.

I shot Lucas an exasperated look, silently pleading for him to back down, but he was fuming, ignoring me.

“I don’t care! You don’t own Frexie! What if we pull other foxes over here? What’ll you do then? Kill us?” That was enough. With a loud slap, I grabbed his sleeve, yanking him away.

Her group looked on with amused smirks, like we were unruly kids. Not the arrogant sneers I’d expect from punks, the kind that sometimes wandered into Patrick’s bar acting like they owned the place. No, they seemed confident, secure. Maybe she just wanted the first kill for her guild? Not that it mattered. I needed to get out of here before I completely lost control.

“Scram, or I’ll slaughter you,” she sneered, though her gaze softened slightly as it met mine. “See, your sweetheart here is the sensible one. Hurry along.” She lifted her staff proudly. “Remember the name Lisa, the Fire Goddess!”

One of her priests sighed, shaking his head as he whispered something to her. Meanwhile, Lucas opened his mouth to fire back, but I quickly clamped a hand over it and dragged him away. Lisa. The name rang a bell. I heard of her in the game’s pvp tournaments; maybe she was more famous than I remembered? She used to be quite strong, but then fell out of the glory.

Once we were safely out of earshot, Lucas fumed. “Charlie, what was that? You just stood there and then pulled me away like a coward!”

I avoided his gaze, still pulling him along as the sounds of spells and battle echoed through the forest. The foxes were swarming around Lisa’s group. “You know why. Remember that girl we met at the bar in high school?”

He let me guide him, still grumbling. “Fine, fine. I know you get nervous around people. But this is a video game, Charlie! If you can’t stand up to bullies here, then where can you?”

“We don’t need Frexie,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t meet his eyes, so I focused on moving ahead. He glanced back toward the clearing, where he could see sparks flying between the trees. “Please, let’s just go.” With a long sigh, he finally followed. “Don’t worry, Lucas. We’ll find something even better.”

“Yeah, I know, I know. You’re right—they’re stronger and outnumber us.” He hesitated. “I just… got excited. What you said about the drops… Thing is, I’ve got debt collectors breathing down my neck.”

“You realize we’re not making much money in the beginning, right?” I replied, trying to ground his expectations. If I’d been a warrior, I’d already be charging through level-ten quests. “I can’t promise anything as exciting as Frexie, but trust me—Goolems are fun to catch, and they drop decent loot. You’ll see!”

Lucas kept moving forward, driven purely by willpower. They’d been playing for over four hours, and under normal circumstances, he’d have cracked open his third energy drink by now. But could he afford to quit with her beside him? Charlie, as cheerful as ever, was hopping from boulder to boulder, her energy unflagging as they passed through the rugged mountains.

Not only does he look like Charlie, but she acts like her, too. That same lively spark… well, John needed a few whiskeys to get there, but it’s close enough. He wrestled with his thoughts. Should I have let her memory go, buried my feelings along with her? Am I just being selfish, holding onto this? He watched her, pain and longing swirling within him. But he—she—is my friend. Can I risk losing her again?

They entered a new region, and she stopped, leaning against a rock, glaring at the ground. “Come on, Lucas! Ground control to captain Lucas! What are you so lost in thought about?” She pointed to the ground, swaying her head to get his attention. “So, can you dig here or not?”

“Dig here? Why the heck would we dig?” Lucas raised an eyebrow, half-wondering if it was a good idea to keep following her. Not just because of his feelings, but because Dexter had messaged him, excitedly recounting his own dungeon adventures. The normally clumsy, game-inept Dexter had already reached level 2.

“I told you earlier!” she said, rolling her eyes. “Or were you too busy daydreaming about energy drinks?” She squatted, inspecting the dirt with her small hands, then shot him a mischievous look. “Or maybe you were ogling my boobs again?”

Without waiting for an answer, she started digging, using her staff and even her bare hands. Lucas stood frozen, half-considering ditching her to catch up with Dexter. This whole digging plan felt insane. Was something weird about the ID transfer? He needed money, or he’d be as good as dead in real life.

She dirtied her robe in the process, and the staff looked like it might snap at any moment. “Lucas, if you don’t help me, this’ll take forever. Damn Nathan, damn stamina—I can’t even dig a hole without feeling exhausted.” Seeing her like that tugged at his heart, and he finally nodded, sinking to his knees to dig beside her, the ground soft and cool beneath his fingers.

It took over an hour, but eventually, they had a hole over three feet deep. Somehow, the simple act of digging felt strangely fulfilling. Probably because I’m with the girl I love, he thought, though he brushed it off. She mentioned wanting the hole deeper, and he rolled his eyes, flopping onto the grass as she wandered off to “pull something in.”

A faint rumble woke him from his light doze, and he blinked, trying to focus on the figure sprinting toward him in the distance. What the—? He scrambled to his feet, readying himself for a fight.

It was Charlie, sprinting barefoot, pursued by strange, tiny figures. They looked like stone-skinned children, barely three feet tall, with oversized, round heads and black stones for eyes.

“Move!” she called out, not daring to glance back. Lucas leapt out of her way, and she launched herself gracefully over the hole. Her three pursuers, unable to stop, tumbled in after her.

“There you go! Monster-catching, as easy as impressing Empress!” she cheered, then collapsed onto the ground, panting. “But that run… absolutely exhausting.” The creatures below thrashed against the hole’s walls, their limbs scraping with a grating, rock-on-rock sound each time they moved.

Lucas felt a shiver run through him. Level nine mini-bosses? He turned to Charlie, voice shaking. “Mind telling me what exactly these things are?”

Charlie, still sprawled on the ground, pointed up at the sky with a grin, her eyes gleaming. “Our feast!”