SuperNovaX was the username used by Kevin. In reality, he was just a college student in his final semester, doing his best to impress his thesis advisor. After nearly a month of pushing himself to meet deadlines and complete his remaining college credits, he finally had the chance to dive into the game he’d been craving to play, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

  The game “Magus Academy Online” had got him addicted since its closed-alpha release more than two and a half months ago. For Kevin, playing the game was like being transported to another world, so immersive that it often made him forget which of the two was the real world. Furthermore, the game’s two-to-one time dilation allowed him to manage his real-world responsibilities more efficiently, giving him more time for his studies.

  Usually, he would only log in at night to best utilize his sleeping time. Fortunately, the game’s newly built-in internet access, even if some things were restricted, was still very useful to him, and it helped him accelerate his thesis writing even while inside the in-game academy.

  As he logged in and explored the academy grounds, he realized that he had not much to do with his friends off on the expedition. Alas, he’d wanted to join them, but he couldn’t risk being expelled from his university or disappointing his family. Playing it safe was the only option.

  Well, all that mattered was that he could fully immerse himself in the game once again. At this point, he had just advanced to the second stage of Initiate Attunement, but his spell repertoire was severely lacking.

  Thinking he might get a better deal at the marketplace, Kevin decided to head there rather than purchasing ones from the virtual shop. Many players had begun creating their own spell models using the Spell Generator program with the intention of selling them to make money; it was kind of like Bitcoin mining and Metaverse mixed together in a sense. Talk about being pay-to-win.

  “Raw magical beast meat for sale! Fresh Mossback Turtle meat! It’s delicious no matter how you cook it! Only one platinum coin per kilogram. I bet you never tasted turtle meat before,” shouted one seller.

  “Teeth and bones! Straight from a magical beast! They can be used to make accessories and weapons! I’m only charging one gold coin for each. Only twenty are available, so act fast!” another seller shouted.

  “Does anyone want to purchase the spell model I just generated? It will make you look cool and help you hook up with a hot chick in under ten minutes!” There was even one that sounded like a scam.

  As he wandered through the bustling stalls, a voice caught his attention. “Berries for sale! Fresh berries, straight from the Thornwood Forest! Don’t miss out!” A female player stood behind a mat overflowing with brightly colored berries. “I’m also selling berry jam! Why not reward yourself with a slice of toast spread thick with homemade jam after a hard day’s work?”

  A small crowd quickly gathered around her stall, drawn by curiosity — or perhaps because the seller was a pretty female player with blue hair.

  “Are your berries edible?”

  “Are they gluten-free?”

  “Can someone with fruit-based allergies safely touch them?”

  “Are your berries sentient? I don’t want to eat something that can think.”

  “If I eat enough jam, can I have hallucinations?”

  The flood of questions from the players left the seller slightly overwhelmed. Nevertheless, she tried her best to answer each question.

  “Yes, they are edible! And you can have hallucinations… Ah, no, I mean you won’t have hallucinations! Probably,” she stammered. In a flustered attempt to prove her point, she quickly opened a jar of jam, dipped her finger in, and tasted it. “See? Perfectly fine!” she declared, grinning.

  The crowd watched her closely, and when nothing strange happened, they broke out into excited chatter.

  “Ooh, they really are edible!” shouted the first player.

  “Give me a jar of jam and one kilogram of those red berries! I can finally have a decent breakfast after skipping meals for days! Oh, please give me the one that you dipped your finger in just now.”

  “I’ll take two kilos! And if they taste bad, I’ll return them.”

  “Man, too bad they don’t give hallucinations… Next time, please bring berries that’ll make me see my anime waifu, Furina, calling me ‘husband’!” Kevin found out that the commenter was none other than ButaYaarou.

  “Hello, mental hospital? I think we have one of your patients who escaped here.”

  Kevin was interested in a berry that looked like a wild strawberry, so he bought a handful to snack on while he explored the bustling marketplace. He bit into one and immediately scrunched his face. “Mm, so sour!” he muttered, but once the sharp tang subsided, a pleasant sweetness followed. Overall, not bad.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  As he wandered through the market, eyeing the various spells being sold by players, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Most of the spells were either impractical or designed purely to troll — flashy effects with little actual use. Some, like {Personal Air Conditioning}, were popular and useful despite not being usable in combat. Still, he managed to pick up two spells that seemed promising and fit his current need for five and three mana crystals respectively, both related to the Necro element.

  The first was called {Ghoul Synchronization}, a transformation spell that morphed the caster’s hands into those of a ghoul. Plus, it would inflict necrotic wounds that would be hard to heal while strengthening the caster’s musculoskeletal system. It would be useful when he used it for close-quarter combat.

  The second spell, {Spectral Shroud}, was less practical but potentially more valuable. It allowed the caster to blend into shadows and become less noticeable to magical beasts, especially undead creatures. Even though there was no undead creature in the game so far. Since he would be doing tasks alone without the help of his party members, this spell could be a lifesaver. Better to play it safe than risk running into something he couldn’t handle.

  Apparently, the game had set rules so that the buyer of the spell models couldn’t distribute the spells to another person until one month had passed since their creation. This was to ensure that while the spell models would eventually become a collective asset and help all the players, it would still compensate the creator fairly in the short term.

  Next, he activated his Shadowlink Mark to check the available missions. His eyes scanned the list until he settled on one that piqued his interest: a classic exploration mission.

  [Explore the uncharted area of the Thornwood Forest.]

  [Mission Difficulty: Two stars]

  [Requirement: First-stage Initiate Attunement or above]

  [Note: Caution is needed when exploring an unknown land, and you’re advised to set up a party. Death will not be compensated.]

  [Reward: 100 merit points per 1 km2, with additional rewards depending on any special discoveries]

  Since the last two updates, Kevin had been freed from his warehouse management duties as the academy’s player base grew. As such, he had no more obligations tying him down. So instead, he decided to venture deep into the forest, just like he had dreamed when he first started the game. Who knows? Maybe he’d stumble upon a glitched-out area or even a hidden village filled with beautiful Amazonians.

  Though most players formed parties for such missions, Kevin felt confident in going solo. He had some experience exploring the forest. On top of that, he had always been good at exploration-type games, being the one to explore even in a game such as Minecraft. Plus, he was one of the pioneers in the game and was now a second-stage Initiate Attunement; he could handle whatever the forest threw at him.

  After all, what could go wrong?

  ***

  Once Kevin had finished preparing for his exploration — double-checking his supplies and practicing his two new spells — he set out to explore the uncharted area of the Thornwood Forest to the southwest. His excitement built as he ventured deeper into the unknown, with his senses on high alert, and a crossbow strapped on his back.

  The forest was thick and eerie, and although Kevin had always been scared of ghosts, the oppressive atmosphere didn’t faze him as much as it might have before. Having practiced his magic and the meditation technique, he could feel his mental state getting tougher.

  It wasn’t long before he encountered his first real challenge. A shadowy, panther-like magical beast sprang out from behind a dense bush, its razor-sharp teeth aiming for his throat. Without hesitation, Kevin cast {Ghoul Synchronization}, transforming his hands into ghastly, gnarled claws. In a swift motion, he deflected the panther’s attack and retaliated, driving his ghoul-like claws into its side. The beast yelped as necrotic energy pulsed through its wound, leaving behind dark, festering flesh.

  Kevin caught his breath as he sized up the creature — a Shadow Panther. According to the official wiki, adult Shadow Panthers had the strength equivalent to a third-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte. Thankfully, this one was juvenile, though it would be tough to take it down alone.

  Fortunately, as the wounded panther glared at him, its predatory instincts were overtaken by self-preservation. With a final hiss, it darted off into the underbrush. Kevin let out a shaky sigh of relief. He could’ve used his new spell {Spectral Shroud} to escape and stall for time with {Summon Shadeling}, but he didn’t want to come to that unless he was forced to.

  Pressing onward, Kevin encountered several other magical beasts along the way. The weaker ones fell easily to his spells, while the stronger creatures — those closer to his own power level — he either scared off or avoided entirely. Unfortunately, he couldn’t carry the beasts’ corpses, so he settled for taking small trophies like claws from the creatures he defeated, hoping they’d be worth something back at the marketplace. Otherwise, he would sell it to the NPCs.

  Still, the Thornwood Forest was vast. But as he thought he would see lush greenery all the way, it all suddenly changed into a strange, unsettling landscape. The trees here were withered and dead, their bark blackened as though scorched by some unnatural force. Not a single living animal could be seen roaming around.

  “What the hell happened here?” he muttered to himself, slowing his pace. The area was so withered that it reminded him of a certain horror shooting game he used to play.

  It wasn’t long before the answer revealed itself. Ahead, undead creatures roamed the area — zombies and skeletal remains wandering aimlessly among the dead trees. Kevin’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t what he had expected when he was going to explore this area. His first instinct was to turn around and report his findings back to the academy.

  But just as he was about to retreat, one of the zombies detected him. To avoid confrontation, he went in the other direction. Suddenly, as he ran into the dead trees, his foot caught on something — he glanced down too late to realize it was actually a trap. The ground gave way beneath him, and with a sickening lurch, he plummeted into a concealed pit filled with sharpened spears. The moment of shock was brief as the spears pierced through his body.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” was his last thought as his vision blurred, and he was disconnected from the game.

  Stupid.

  Volume 3 is finished on Patreon. Do check it out!