Crisp sounds of crumbling leaves filled the air as Cinderbun walked around the clearing. It was the unch day of Ceres Online—the server had just gone live, and he could see various pyers around him spawning, each of them getting used to the movements of the game. Cinderbun had pyed a lot of VRMMOs before, but in this generation, Ceres seemed to have the most potential. After all, it was the only game where all senses were replicated just like in real life. After frolicking around a bit, he could confirm that the features the devs promised were indeed present. And honestly, it felt weird.
But it didn't matter much to him. He believed he'd get used to it over time. There were more pressing matters at hand, like getting ahead of everyone else. For a game with this much potential, and for someone whose dream was to be a professional gamer, he needed to work hard to get ahead. Even if it was just by a little bit, an advantage was an advantage—and he wasn't about to let anyone get ahead of him.
So, he started walking, scanning everything around him and checking what he could interact with.
Seeing his initiative, other pyers began to follow suit. After all, no one wanted to get left behind.
Meanwhile, Cillian—currently wearing a hood—was walking around the entrance of a cave deep in the woods. In the five hours that had passed, he had successfully escaped the woods, identified which country he was in, stolen a hood and some supplies from bandits, and then returned to the woods to wait for the pyers to spawn.
-I got really lucky this time... He marveled to himself, -To think I'd spawn in a pce with a hidden dungeon.
With the help of dy luck, he structured his pn based on the resources that had been generously handed to him by a god called RNG. He figured that mindless pyers eager to get ahead would rush straight for the exit, while pyers who were actually interested in exploring and lore would take the time to explore the woods first. So, he pnned to guide the first pyer who could find him.
-Now we py the waiting game...
On the other side of the woods, however, Cinderbun, after not much effort, easily found the exit. Aside from some berries and mushrooms, he found nothing. He also wasn't the first one to find the exit.
-Welp, we lose some, we win some.
It wasn't like he was going to let something small like that get to him, but since he didn't find anything significant on the main path—and wasn't the first to find the exit—he decided to take a short rest. He pulled out his menu and opened the forums to check for useful info. As he scrolled through, he carelessly clicked the top thread.
Surprisingly, some pyers had already found a vilge.
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PirateKing: This game is so realistic its ridiculous!! what do you mean you cant let me in the vilge because i have no identification!?
Cosmicboomer: Fr bro I just saw someone get dragged by the guards because he tried to push his way through.
ttrl: How do I find a vilge?
PirateKing: just follow the dirth path from the woods
openfly: bruh i got arrested because i accidentally removed my clothes
Carrun: with that name? right.
PirateKing:?
openfly: oi.
Cosmicboomer: atleast you got in lmao
ariend: !! NEW INFO !! apparently if you tell the guards that you're a hunter or a wanderer you will most likely get in, unless you look suspicious you can also get in by bribing the guards if you somehow got enough money with you
Carrun: nice, thanksies
ariend: apparently us pyers are called hunters or wanderers in this game
PirateKing: I got in! thanks for the info chat
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After reading some more, Cinderbun closed the forum and decided to follow the dirt path leading to the beginner vilge.
Back at the inner edge of the woods, Cillian was still loitering around the entrance of the hidden dungeon, letting time pass as he scrolled through the forums. For some reason, Cillian could browse the forum but couldn't participate in it, which made sense since he wasn't a pyer. But putting this aside...
"Why isn't anybody coming? Do I actually have to approach the pyers on my own?!"
-No, I have to be patient. After all, no matter how much of a nobody I am in this world, I'm still an NPC. The pyers should come to me, not the other way around!!
Continuing to bide his time and wait, he resumed his casual forum browsing. Cillian had faith in his pn; after all, the pyers' curiosity couldn't be underestimated. There would always be those who scoured every nook and cranny of a game, hunting for secrets. Besides, he had already set the bait, so now it was just a matter of patience.
Around the same time, just outside the clearing where new pyers were continuously spawning, a pyer named kururin was walking around with a scary aura obsessive even, seemingly searching for something. In her hand was a quest item.
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Unknown leather patch - Quest Item
Info: A leather patch left behind by someone as a clue, it has the word oak inscribe in it.
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Kururin wasn't a competitive pyer; she was the type of pyer who gets deeply invested in storylines. Rather than grinding and fighting enemies for hours, she preferred doing quests and exploring, the kind of casual pyer who found joy in unraveling the game's mysteries. And right now, she was having a lot of fun with the treasure hunt-esque quest she had stumbled upon.
She was casually collecting random items from the ground, reading their descriptions one by one, when she picked up an unassuming leather patch. The moment she noticed the quest item tag on it, her curiosity was piqued. From that point on, she started checking around the oak trees, looking for clues.
"Found it!!"
After a bit of searching, her efforts finally paid off. She noticed a sign of digging near a particur tree, so she knelt down and started digging. To her delight, she uncovered a letter.
