“Do you know why I called you here?” his brother asked, his voice calm but firm.

  Ryung shook his head, gncing at his brother with a puzzled expression before shrugging.

  “Your cousin mentioned you’re spending time with some strange man in the game. Didn’t I tell you to stick with—”

  “Hey, Chaos Nexus isn’t some random guy,” Ryung interrupted with a spark of defiance in his voice. “He’s actually nice, unlike someone who ditched me in beginner town.”

  “I didn’t leave you there!” Gun-mo snapped, his voice rising. “It’s not my fault you’re slow to level up.”

  “Whatever,” Ryung muttered, rolling his eyes.

  “Enough, both of you,” their brother interjected, his voice cutting through the tension. “You’re both in the wrong.”

  "But hyung…" Ryung whined, looking for sympathy.

  “Listen, I get that your new friend seems nice, but there are plenty of people out there who act nice just to get what they want,” their brother said, raising a hand to stop Ryung’s retort. “Before I let you keep hanging out with him, I need to do a background check.”

  "Did Gun-mo put you up to this?" Ryung asked, pointing an accusing finger at his cousin. He could feel the irritation bubbling up inside him; Gun-mo always seemed determined to ruin his fun, acting as if they owed him something.

  "Yes, it was Gun-mo who brought it to my attention," his brother admitted. "He's just looking out for you."

  “Looking out for me?” Ryung scoffed, shaking his head."I might be only twelve, but even I know if he was really looking out for me, he would’ve told you I wasn't with him a week ago. Why is he only bringing it up now? It seems a little fishy."

  “Shut up, you little brat!” Gun-mo snapped, his temper fring.

  “Don’t talk to my little brother like that,” Joon warned, his eyes narrowing at Gun-mo. “Ryung’s right. Why did you only bring this up now?”

  “I’ve got my own stuff to deal with, Joon,” Gun-mo said, trying to sound nonchant. “I only realized he wasn't around when one of my guildmates saw a video of him pying.”

  “Your ‘own stuff’ doesn’t matter,” Joon shot back, clearly irritated. “The only reason my mother gave you a VR pod was to keep an eye on Ryung.”

  ‘Gave me the pod?’ Gun-mo thought bitterly. ‘That’s the least she owes me.’ He crossed his arms, his tone defensive as he replied, “I’m not his babysitter. He’s old enough to know what to do.”

  Joon rolled his eyes, clearly fed up with Gun-mo’s attitude. Turning back to Ryung, he softened his tone. “Look, Ryung, just hang out with Gun-mo until I can check out this Chaotic Nexus guy. If everything checks out, you can py with him again.”

  “How long will that take?” Ryung asked, hoping it wouldn’t be too long. He didn’t want to miss out on anything exciting.

  “Probably two to three weeks,” Joon replied, sounding apologetic.

  “Fine,” Ryung sighed, then brightened slightly. “But can I at least hang out with your guild?”

  Joon shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Sorry, buddy. My guild’s up in SnowCrest gathering materials. It’d take you weeks to make it to us.”

  “That sucks,” Ryung muttered, his earlier defiance melting into resignation. “Guess I’m stuck with Gun-mo’s me guild.”

  "Hey!" Gun-mo shouted after him, but Ryung was already heading out the door, leaving his cousin’s protests behind.

  After stepping out of his brother’s office, ChibiScker felt a bit down. Three weeks away from Chaotic Nexus seemed like forever. In the game that amounted to nearly two months. He could only imagine Chaotic Nexus's wild adventures while he was gone.

  ChibiScker decided to make the most of his time with his brother’s guild by focusing on becoming stronger and training his monster. He wanted to be ready for any adventure when he reunited with Chaotic Nexus. But first, he needed to say goodbye. With a sigh, he climbed back into the pod and logged into Haven.

  By the time ChibiScker had logged in, Fenix was already in Bellport, eager to complete his quest. There was so much that he needed to do now that he had got his combat potion skills.

  He needed to work on raising his fishing, cooking, and potion-making levels. He also needed to take the mysterious bck egg he’d received from the King Bellyborg to the beast-tamer NPC to find out whether it was a potential pet or an ingredient for crafting.

  There were a lot more things he needed to accomplish before the update in three months. His head hurt just by thinking about it. Although he wasn’t sure if he could get a headache in virtual reality, he could feel one coming on.

  A notification interrupted his thoughts. It was a video call from ChibiScker. A slight smile appeared on Fenix's face as he opened the call, only to falter when he saw his friend’s gloomy face.

  “What’s wrong?” Fenix asked, his concern clear.

  ChibiScker sighed heavily. “My brother wants me to hang out with my cousin's guild for a while. I’ll be gone for two to three weeks."

  “That’s not too long,” Fenix said, trying to be encouraging. “You won’t miss much here. Go hang out with your cousin.”

  “No,” ChibiScker said, shaking his head sadly. “It’s three weeks of real-world time, not just in-game.”

  “Oh, I see,” Fenix said. He could understand why ChibiScker was so upset. A lot could happen during that time. Fenix would miss the energetic boy. He made things lively. He was like the little brother he never knew he wanted, but it was only three weeks and they could still video call each other, he told ChibiScker that.

  “I know,” ChibiScker said reluctantly. “Just don’t go on any adventures without me.”

  Fenix chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”

  Fenix and ChibiScker talked a bit more before they ended the video call. As he was talking, Fenix had already made his way to the library, where he had to complete his quest.

  Walking inside, he saw that it wasn’t as empty as it was before. There were a lot of people reading all around. They were most likely newbie explorers looking up information about the different pces in the world of Haven.

  The three librarians were busy, each juggling multiple tasks: checking out books, fielding questions, and trying to keep up with the influx of patrons. It quickly became clear that it wouldn’t be as easy as walking in, completing the quest, and leaving as he thought. With a resigned sigh, he joined the line, waiting for his turn.

  After twenty minutes, he finally stood in front of Wynter. Her face lit up with such surprise that she nearly toppled her chair in her eagerness to stand up.

  “You’re back!” Wynter excimed, her eyes sparkling. “Did you already finish the dungeon?”

  Fenix gave a nod. “I did.”

  As he reached into his inventory to retrieve the book, Wynter waved her hand. “Hold on, follow me,” she said, quickly letting the other librarians know she’d be back soon.

  She guided him to her office, her excitement barely contained. Once inside, she motioned for him to start recounting his adventure. Fenix described everything vividly: the complex puzzles, the chilling statues that seemed to watch him, and the carnivorous pnts. As they settled into comfortable chairs in her office, he wrapped up his tale.

  “Wow, what an adventure,” Wynter said, her voice a mix of awe and wistfulness. “I wish I could’ve been there. And where’s Shilvak’s book?”

  With a smile, Fenix pulled out the leather-bound book from his inventory and handed it to her.

  Wynter took the book with reverent care, her eyes misting as she gently stroked the cover. “I never thought I’d see this book in my lifetime. Thank you, Chaotic Nexus. I’m truly grateful.”

  [System: You have completed the quest!]

  [System: You have gained 1000 experience points!]

  Wynter and Fenix chatted for a bit longer until Wynter had to head back to work. Fenix left the library feeling pleased with himself. He had accomplished what he had set out to do, but he knew he needed to work harder. There were still many things to be done. Noticing that 23 hours had passed, he logged out of the game.

  Name: Chaotic Nexus  Title: Bird Killer

  Level: 18      EXP: 1119/8000 ←- (+500 each Lvl)

  HP: 300/300 MP: 260/260 STA: 290/290←- (+10 each Lvl)

  Stat points: 68 ←- (+3 each Lvl)

  Strength: 8 +4  Dexterity: 10 +4

  Intelligence: 8 +4 Luck: 10 +4

  Coins: 9 Gold, 873 Silver, 722 Bronze

  End of Arc 2