Ethan’s boots struck the mossy cobblestones at the outskirts of Feya Town, every nerve alert. The valley town looked tranquil in the dying light, blue-leaf trees swaying and mana reeds shimmering with unnatural color. The air tasted sweet, but Ethan couldn’t shake the uneasy chill crawling up his spine. He’d spent years in VR fantasy worlds, but nothing prepared him for the biting cold or the stares that followed him here.Celestia walked half a pace behind, arms folded, her tail swaying with measured wariness. She scanned each shadowed alleyway, her voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t a beginner zone. Trouble hides behind every pretty window.”Ethan tried to keep his breathing steady. The Arcane Godslayer Gear felt heavier in the real world—each rune-etched plate pressed into his body with unfamiliar weight. Celestia, his once-virtual companion, now walked beside him, every bit as fierce and enigmatic as in the game. And yet, despite the legendary armor and his loyal guardian, E

Late one night, beneath the amber glow of lantern light, Ethan Lockwood and Celestia Draconyx settled into a modest room at a quiet inn in Feya Town. Though the fire in the hearth offered warmth and comfort, unease lingered in the air like the heavy scent of rain before a storm. The events of the day—dodging Syndicate watchers, enduring the stares of strangers, and surviving whispers in alleyways—had left their nerves on edge.Celestia, now in her humanoid form, paced by the window. Her long, silver-white hair glimmered beneath the flickering candlelight, her features regal yet sharp. Even here, in the supposed safety of a room above a tavern, her instincts remained coiled like a serpent.“You keep staring,” she said, voice teasing yet measured.Ethan smiled faintly. “Just appreciating the view.”Her crimson eyes met his with a spark of amusement. “Careful. Flattery won’t save you if trouble comes knocking.”Trouble, as it turned out, didn’t knock. It kicked the door down.A burst of f

For weeks, the road became a blur of danger and discovery. Ethan Lockwood and Celestia Draconyx moved like a storm—swift, relentless, impossible to pin down.Their first destination: the Crater of Fallen Stars.Jagged rocks encircled the site like the claws of a giant beast. The land shimmered with residual mana, fractured by the impact of a comet long forgotten. Shards of star metal glinted beneath the shattered earth, but they were guarded.A pack of mutated wyverns had made the crater their nesting ground, their scales infused with cosmic energy. One of them, a two-headed brute with celestial veins glowing across its hide, perched atop the largest shard."They're nesting," Celestia murmured, crouched beside Ethan behind a cluster of charred stones. Her wings were folded tight, her breath steady.Ethan squinted through the shimmer of heat. "We need that shard. Think we can lure the alpha away?"She smirked. "I’ll handle the sky. You take the ground. Don’t die."Moments later, Celest

The sun dipped low behind twisted jungle canopies, draping the land in a wash of amber mist. Ethan Lockwood and Celestia Draconyx had survived waves of slimes and outmaneuvered organized goblin warbands—but the real danger was still on their trail.“They’re watching us,” Celestia murmured, crouching low beneath a thicket of luminous ferns. “I smell blood... but not ours.”Ethan activated a silent detection pulse. Sure enough, faint mana trails spiked behind them—thin, sharp, unnaturally clean.“Syndicate assassins. Three of them. Maybe more.”“Still following us from Dasi,” Celestia growled. “Persistent rats.”Ethan's eyes gleamed. “Good. I’ve got a plan.”They advanced deeper into the jungle, now using the terrain to their advantage. The environment shifted with every step—sludgy swamps gave way to fungal groves and bulbous vines that pulsed like veins. And nestled among this was a natural trap: an abandoned goblin outpost, now overrun by territorial slimes.“Set the bait,” Ethan whi

Ethan Lockwood frowned slightly, the dull throb in his ribs a haunting reminder of their last battle. The encounter with the chimera had left more than physical wounds—it had etched into his mind the reality of this world: raw, dangerous, and alive.Beside him, Celestia Draconyx eyed him sidelong, her crimson gaze sharp and laced with concern. "You're more stubborn than a mountain wyrm," she murmured, reaching out with a clawed hand. "At least let me carry the gear."Ethan chuckled, masking his discomfort with false bravado. "Save your energy. Knowing our luck, something nasty is probably waiting around the next bend."As if on cue, the sound of careful footsteps echoed ahead.Ethan instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his greatsword. Around the corner appeared a small group of adventurers—guards for the Crimson Caravan. Dusty cloaks hung from their shoulders, and their eyes, seasoned and alert, immediately locked on the gleaming chimera fangs hanging from Ethan's belt.The