Kaiden blinked away the startup haze, materializing in the moist silence of Mycoth Hollow’s lower reaches. The air carried a stillness, the kind that wrapped around your thoughts like wet cloth, muting everything except your heartbeat and the ambient drip of fungal moisture.

  Naō was already there, sitting cross-legged on a glowing mushroom cap that pulsed faint green beneath him. His alchemy set hovered nearby, idle but freshly cleaned. Ironstride stood a few paces back, arms crossed, her shield resting on the ground beside her like an obedient pet.

  “Took you long enough,” Ironstride said, her voice flat but not unkind.

  Naō looked up and gave a small, relieved smile. “You good?”

  Kaiden exhaled. “Yeah. Just… real-world stuff.” He stepped forward, eyes adjusting to the gently bioluminescent glow. “Weird weather, sister got sick. Had to check it out for a bit.”

  Ironstride tilted her head. “Yeah. About that. There’s been talk. Not just weird patches or NPC glitches. Stuff’s wrong.”

  “What kind of wrong?” Kaiden asked, suddenly more alert.

  Naō stood and started pulling up his log. “I ran into a trader who tried to something called a Sun-Rotted Spore Vial. It disappeared from my inventory when I logged out. No trace. Like the system erased it.”

  Kaiden’s jaw tightened. “Like the Corrupted Root Vial.”

  Ironstride nodded. “And NPCs are repeating dialogue. Staring into space. One tried to pray to the sun.”

  Naō gave a half-laugh. “That might be the creepiest part. They’re not consistent. Like they were updated... but no one announced a patch.”

  Kaiden shifted his stance. “I think it’s spreading. Not just in here.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Ironstride cut him a glance. “Later. For now, we play.”

  He nodded, grateful for the simplicity of that statement.

  Ironstride tapped her interface and a glowing waypoint marked a section of the map.

  [Main Quest Unlocked: “The Pale Grove”]

  An ancient forest path swallowed by rootstorms. Caravans vanish. No mounts allowed. Rumors of lightless corruption linger. Investigate and clear the route for future passage.

  “Also,” she added, turning to Kaiden, “remember what I said before you bailed? Ashglass Market. East of Blackcoral. Hidden hub. I think it might be linked to this.”

  Kaiden nodded. “We’ll hit it after we finish here.”

  The Pale Grove loomed like a submerged memory. Vines curled down from the canopy like locks of drowned hair. All ambient light faded to near darkness, save for faint, slow pulses from glowing fungal bulbs and tiny spores suspended like dust motes.

  [Warning: Pressure increasing. External light sources nullified.]

  [Rot Encroachment Risk: High. Lingering in darkness for extended periods will apply progressive DoT and -DEX debuff.]

  Naō tossed a vial into the air. It burst into a soft glow, revealing a clear path ahead. “Guess I’ll be doing this every few minutes,” he muttered.

  Kaiden unsheathed his scythe. The metal shimmered faintly.

  They progressed deeper. Occasionally, they passed other Players crouched near fungal bulbs, whispering about patch rumors.

  “Yo, that’s him,” one said, pointing. “The guy from the tourney. The one who turned into something.”

  “He a Ghost?” another whispered. “My party says he’s some dev-in-disguise.”

  Kaiden tried to not pay attention to them.

  “Let them talk,” Naō murmured as they passed. “More mystery, fewer invites.”

  Kaiden smirked. “You just don’t wanna share loot.”

  Naō grinned back. “Ah, looks like I’m busted.”

  “Boys, focus,” Ironstride hissed at them.

  They reached the deeper threshold of the Grove. A howl rang out, followed by the rustling of enormous roots. Something massive stirred.

  [Objective: Traverse the Grove and Clear the Corruption Rooted Within]

  The rot echoed all around them.

  Status Update

  Mixmaster – Level 8

  LP: 140

  SP: 120

  ATK: 23

  DEF: 21

  DEX: 23

  AGI: 28

  INT: 35

  WIS: 34

  Moves/Skills:

  Corrosive Draught – DEF Down + Damage

  Mistbreaker Draught II – DoT Cleanse + Status Cleanse

  Minor Regen Tonic – Small Heal Over Time

  Purge Capsule – Full Status Wipe

  Stunburst Phial – Short Stun, AoE Shock