---Logan's POV---

  Among the three of us, ProGamer_Daddy had the slowest tree-chopping progress. Moreover, his additional experience points increased at the slowest rate.

  I watched him carefully.

  nature attentively was indeed a way to gaira experience points, but even when mimig the methods of us two "true experts," his uanding just couldn't catch up to ours.

  With each frustrated swing, his movements became more erratic.

  After thinking it over, I could see his decision f: Fet about those extra experience points! As long as he chopped trees fast enough—oree every five minutes—he could pletely offset the loss of bonus experience.

  But to achieve that, he would need a better logging tool thahornleaf Bde he was currently using.

  "Chopping trees is satisfying, sure, but we 't just keep using this game as a workout routine!" he punched his arm in frustration. "The strength I gain in the game doesn't carry over to real life anyway."

  He examined his Thornleaf Bde. "And this thing? It's like trying to cut down a tree with a butter knife!"

  I was lost in thought.

  Despite my enthusiastic start that m, as someone who had logged over a thousand hours in farming and base-building games, I knew myself too well.

  Sure, I could chop trees all day long without getting bored for the first few days. I might even sit cheerfully uhe tree by the vilge entrance, looking at the stumps left behind and feeling a sense of aplishment.

  But give it two or three days, and the grind would start to wear on me. Even with the variety of bor-inteasks on the game's task board, cyg through them one by one, I estimated I'd st no more than half a month before burning out.

  "We really should think about ways to improve task efficy," I mused. "The game's premise is about quering the world. We 't afford to spend two or three years just grinding iarter vilge."

  My mouth parched from speaking, I grabbed an uifiable wild fruit and took a bite.

  "But pursuing the path of magical pnts seems like a dead end. If there were easier tools to use, the NPCs would've giveo us by now. And even if they exist, they probably won't show up until the expansion or two."

  Garble furrowed his brow. "Could it be that the geographical enviro nearby just doesn't produts better suited for tools thahornleaf Bde?"

  "Probably," I replied. "It all boils down to the same thing. But your expnation sounds more like something a game dev would say to justify the lore and keep pyers hooked."

  ProGamer_Daddy wi Garble. "Who'd have thought that, despite your t build, you're an immersive rolepyer! First analyzing the story, now defending the lore. If you posted that on the forums, you'd definitely get roasted as a 'loyal dev apologist' after the devs iably mess something up!"

  Garble was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond. Finally, he said, "This game is wetting immersed in…"

  I noticed him gng down at his right hand and legs, murmuring something to himself that I couldn't quite catch.

  "What?" ProGamer_Daddy, lying beside him, asked.

  "Nothing." Garble's tone made it clear the subject was closed. Returning to the previous topic, he suggested, "If findiools isn't an option, why don't we just make them ourselves?"

  "You mean unlog the tech tree?" I immediately caught on.

  In most games, unlog ted advang infrastructure were standard strategies. But wasn't this game set in a magical fantasy world? Would going down a tech-focused path break immersion with the main storyline?

  ProGamer_Daddy smacked his forehead in delight. "Exactly! This game is so open-ended—of course we do whatever we want!" He sat up, suddenly energized. "If we find iron ore, we make a saw. Then we'll really take off! Let's show this magical world the power of modern teology!"

  Garble thought for a moment, his expression serious. "To refine iron, we'd o smelt out the impurities to achieve the hardness required for a saw. That part, I handle."

  I watched dumbfounded as the two of them enthusiastically dove into brainst. "Wait, you guys actually know how to make a saw?"

  ProGamer_Daddy grinned. "As long as I have the parts and raw materials, whipping up a DIY saw shouldn't be too hard—it just o work!"

  "I only know how to smelt iron," Garble said.

  "What? Only know how to smelt iron? That's already insane! Who in real life even touches that stuff?" I suddenly felt like the two people beside me were plete strangers. Was I the only one who'd only done crafting in games?

  The only "hands-on" experience I had in real life, if I was ho, was assembling a PC—hardly parable. It wasn't like I had ever built my oacitors or resistors.

  ProGamer_Daddy rubbed his forehead. "Ugh, it's because I picked the wrong major! I was dumb enough to eical engineering. My dad said if I failed my courses and embarrassed the family, he'd y allowance! Man, the things I've been through…"

  He chuckled, but there was a hint of real frustration in his voice.

  I gave him a plicated look. "Your dad's hardcore. But even so, I've never heard of a meical engineer who just whip up a saw!"

  And it couldn't be a ce that, just as the game required it, ProGamer_Daddy just happeo have this niche skill. What else was this guy hiding?

  He waved his hand dismissively, sighing dramatically. "Don't remind me. I thought I ying this game to be a superhero, not to end up doing engineering projects!"

  As farble, he simply said, "Work experience," in his usual cise manner.

  I fell silent. Fair enough. Life had forced both of them to develop their own uech trees.

  That said, even with two saw-building experts, crafting one wasn't something that could be done ht.

  During a break, we sought out Viktor, who was sunbathing by the chapel door, and mao get some valuable ihe materials for iron ore iarter vilge had already been prepared, but we had no idea where to find them.

  Viktor had only vaguely hihat the Great Oak Forest was resource-rich, suggesting we explore on our own.

  We weren't stupid.

  Just because we hadn't entered dahat m didn't mean we were eager to leave the starter vilge and court death.

  In the end, we decided to focus on chopping trees to reach Level 2 first. Once we had some self-defense capabilities, we'd ve.

  Night soon fell.

  Garble was the first to accumute enough experieo level up. But he didn't immediately leave us behind to turn in his quest.

  Ign bonus experience for now, we still o chop 60 trees to level up as a group.

  The trees he vilge entrance were far from enough. Maoo short or too thick, requiring three times the effort to chop as a standard tree.

  We had to head deeper into the forest to fier trees.

  sidering the game's background lore about the Great Oak Forest, Garble worried we might enter danger if we went alone. So, we stuck together, watg each other's backs as we ventured further in.

  Everythi smoothly—until nightfall.

  As the st rays of su faded, the sky above us suddenly turned pitch bck.

  Raindrops seeped through the leaves, moistening the ground, as distant rumbles echoed through the clouds.

  I hurriedly tied the logs on the ground with vines, shouting to the others: "ProGamer_Daddy, hurry up! It's about to storm!"

  The st thing I wanted was for my first in-game death to be from standing under a tree in a thuorm.

  "Almost done! Just one more tree!" ProGamer_Daddy called back, quiing his pace.

  Sparks seemed to fly from his Thornleaf Bde as he hacked away. He was already halfway through the trunk and couldn't bear to give up now.

  I could uand his frustratiohought of being the only one who hadn't reached Level 2 by the end of the first day was simply unbearable.

  No one wao be the weakest link.

  Rustle... Spsh!

  In just a few moments of versation, the drizzling rain thied into heavy droplets.

  They nded on my hands, stinging with a sharp pain.

  I looked at the rain growing heavier, my gaze shiftiween the logs on the ground and the figure chopping trees ahead. The rain was getting worse by the sed.

  "Fet it, I'll help you!"

  Garble and I both dropped the vines in our hands and walked back together. The faster we fihis, the sooner we could get out of this painful downpour.

  With three of us w together, the tree was soon chopped down.

  Boom!

  The trunk crashed to the ground, shaking the surrounding soil slightly. The impact echoed through the forest, momentarily drowning out even the sound of the rain.

  Red thumb-sized fruits growing oree scattered everywhere upon impact, boung off the muddy ground like tiny rubber balls.

  We worked together to strip off the excess branches, redug the weight. Our hands moved quickly, knowing time wasn't on our side with this weather.

  Without the tree's leafy opy for cover, the three of us were soon soaked to the bone by the rain.

  I wiped the rainwater and hair off my face, struggling to open my eyes.

  This is getting ridiculous. barely see two feet ahead of me. "Ugh! Hope I don't log in tomorrow with a cold debuff."

  Or better yet, maybe leveling up would reset our in-game status or something.

  Dragging the processed lumber behind us, we began heading back.

  And then—

  My foot slipped.

  "What the—?!"

  The muddy ground beside the freshly chopped stump had been unusually loosened by the rainwater, as if turning into a patch of quid.

  If not farble's quick reflexes in pulling me back, I would have fallen right in. His grip on my colr probably saved my life.

  Taking two steps back, I muttered, "What the hell is this? A sinkhole?"

  Just as I finished speaking—

  The muddy ground began to ripple and bulge unevenly, shifting and moving like a pot of boiling water.

  A massive drical creature burst out from the earth, appearing in front of us with frightening speed.

  "Holy sh—!"

  Only the rawest excmation could express my shock at the creature before me.

  Even with the rain blurring my vision, the creature's vibrant red body dominated my sight.

  It was an enormous red worm, its diameter easily three meters wide—rger than any stump we had chopped.

  Its segmented body resembled twisted tree vines, looking grotesque and menag.

  "Who was it this m who said they hadn't seen a magical creature before?"

  Whoosh!

  The red worm's body scraped against the muddy ground, raising its head and targeting us. The sound of its flesh sliding against the wet earth made my skin crawl.

  It lunged fiercely!

  We scattered in different dires, our feet spshing through puddles as we ran.

  "AHHHH! Here's yical creature—look at it!!" I yelled while running, my lungs burning from the effort.

  "I—DON'T—WANT—TO—SEE—IT—ANYMORE!" ProGamer_Daddy yelled back through the downpour, probably gulping down half a stomach of rainwater in the process.

  I could tell he had wao see magical creatures, but definitely not this monster.

  The worm dug up our only path back to the town and used its massive body to block all other exits, leaving us trapped, running in circles.

  Creak!

  The worm knocked over a small tree not far from me, the crash sending vibrations through the grouh my feet.

  "Damn it, I'm not running anymore!" I panted heavily.

  The heat c through my veins from all the running had me burning up. If we kept running until we were exhausted, we were as good as dead.

  Might as well fight!

  Gripping the Thornleaf Bde tightly, my chest heaved as I caught my breath. "Dammit, I was the sed-pce javelin thrower in college—I'm not just here to take hits!"

  ProGamer_Daddy saw this and ran toward the worm. "Bro, I'll distract it for you!"

  He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the worm.

  The worm turs head successfully, opening its maw and lunging at him. Its movement was faster than anything that size had any right to be.

  ProGamer_Daddy leaped and darted betweerees like a monkey.

  Now!

  I took a deep breath, muscles tensing as I assumed a perfect javelin-throwing stance.

  I leaned bad threw the Thornleaf Bde.

  It sliced through the rain, aimed straight at the worm's mouth.

  But just as it was three timeters away from hitting, its momentum suddenly faltered.

  The bde dropped straight down.

  I clutched my head. "Crap, I missed!"

  ProGamer_Daddy looked back while still running. "What? Didn't you say you were sed p the javelin petition?!"

  "There were only three people in the petition!"

  "You son of a—!"

  I had thought the target was se, so close—what could possibly g? Turns out, plenty could g.

  "I'll draw it this way! I'll save you!" I yelled, running toroGamer_Daddy while trying not to slip in the mud.

  Squelch!

  The fotten Thornleaf Bde finally hit the ground, and actally pierced part of the worm's body.

  It sank in halfway.

  The worm writhed in pain and quickly burrowed bato the earth, leaving a hole where it had been.

  My eyes widened. "Holy crap, I'm amazing!"

  "Wait—this monster's defense is that weak?" ProGamer_Daddy froze.

  Garble, rec from the shock, shook his head. "No, the worm's defense isn't weak. It's just that our quest items are ridiculously strong."

  The bde that had chopped down over a dozen trees without dulling? Its sharpness was beyond imagination!

  He grabbed the viied to the lumber and motioo us.

  "Don't just stand there—let's go while we !"

  We jumped in to help, our feet slipping in the mud as we tried t the heavy log.

  But we hadn't gotten far when the worm returned, its wound healed, and the Thornleaf Bde gone.

  It had removed the bde.

  Wounded and ehe worm's violent temperament exploded.

  With its massive body, it stirred up mud and sand, ung atack at us.

  But this time, with a clear strategy, we were no longer as terrified as before.

  ProGamer_Daddy gripped his Thornleaf Bde aed his wrist. "This time, let me try!"

  He adopted his skipping-stoance.

  The moment the worm opes mouth, he threw the bde.

  But the worm twisted its head at the st sed, turning the bde's target from its head to its midse.

  ProGamer_Daddy's jaw dropped. "This thing bait skills?"

  I swear I saw a smug glint in the worm's movement, as if it kly what it was doing. The creature was far more intelligent than we had initially thought.

  When the bde was about to hit, tiny bristles shot out from the worm's body segments, defleg the bde entirely.

  "What the hell is this?!" ProGamer_Daddy and I cursed in unison.

  Hidden meics? How were we supposed to win now? This was some serious endgame boss mei a starter area!

  Garble suddenly darted out, catg the deflected bde mid-air. Spinning around, he wielded a Thornleaf Bde in each hand and charged the worm at cle.

  Without time to react, the worm's bristles couldn't block the force of his attack.

  Squelch! Squelch!

  The sound of flesh being pierced rang out.

  The worm thrashed in pain, its tail scraping the ground with an ear-pierg screech that made my teeth ache.

  It tried to retreat into the mud again, but Garble didn't give it the ce.

  With the bristles retracted, he g to the worm's slimy body, gripping it with his legs for support.

  With a shout, he pluhe two bdes downward.

  Rip!

  He carved through the worm's body like unzipping a zipper, splitting its flesh wide open.

  Red ichor sprayed into the rain.

  The more the worm writhed, the deeper the wound grew, until nearly half its body was severed.

  ProGamer_Daddy and I were stunned by Garble's ferocity. Remind me o get on his bad side.

  Once we snapped out of it, we rushed to join him.

  The rain had turned red around us.

  Together, the three of us hacked the worm into two before it could burrow away, our bdes fshing in the rain until the monster finally stopped moving.