Járnviðr Forest – MIDGARD
Sunlight pierced the canopy of the Járnviðr Forest, its rays scattering through thick branches and heavy leaves. The forest floor flickered with golden specks, revealing only fragments of the mysterious land that Ryoichi and Uraume now found themselves navigating.
At first, they had both been hesitant to enter. The forest looked ominous—its silence unsettling. But the quest they'd accepted had led them here, and their doubts quickly gave way to curiosity and obligation. With a shared glance, they had stepped across the threshold.
That was two hours ago.
Now, they were fighting for their virtual lives.
Trollwomen, monstrous guardians of the jötnar, lunged at them with primal rage. Their eyes glowing with hunger. There was no mercy here—only relentless combat.
Ryoichi ducked as a Trollwoman's club whistled past his head. In one smooth motion, he grabbed her arm and whispered a single word.
"Dismantle."
The magic activated instantly. The Trollwoman didn't even have time to scream before her body exploded into shreds, torn apart midair. But there was no time to celebrate. Two more came at him, eyes wild with vengeance.
He sidestepped their strikes and, without missing a beat, used two of his four arms to grab both by the neck.
"Cleave," he said, his voice calm amid the chaos.
Like the last, they let out gut-wrenching cries before being sliced into fragments, vanishing into shimmering EXP particles.
He turned, breathing heavily, to check on Uraume. She stood unbothered in the aftermath of her own battle, her enemies lying broken at her feet. She barely spared them a glance as she flicked open her reward panel.
Ryoichi sighed and began walking toward her, memories flickering back to when they first spawned in the game.
'She picked up the controls so fast,' he thought. 'It's like she's been playing for years.'
His eyes traveled over her avatar again. Silky white hair spilled down her back, and her amethyst eyes seemed to glow faintly under the sunlight. She wore a simple tunic and pants that matched the world's medieval setting. But what truly marked her was the pair of pointed, elegant ears—undeniably elven.
[IMAGE]
He remembered the first time he saw her character model. It looked like an older version of Uraume, only with elf ears. The sight had left him stunned, his heart skipping a beat. His face flushed in real life, and for one brief moment, he imagined things he knew he shouldn't.
'Thank the gods she didn't see my face then,' he thought, swallowing the embarrassment. 'She'd never let me live it down.'
Pushing the memory aside, he stopped beside her.
"So," he asked, "was that the last one, or do we need to head deeper?"
Uraume didn't look up. "That was the last. We can head back and turn this in."
She closed her quest panel and finally glanced at him, expression unreadable. Her eyes lingered on his character—tall, monstrous, and imposing.
'Why would anyone pick a seven-foot-tall demon as their avatar?' she wondered, mentally shaking her head. 'I pick a cute elf to mess with him, and he picks something out of a horror movie.'
Though her face remained neutral in-game, Uraume pouted in real life.
"Since we've killed the fifty Trollwomen the quest wanted," she added, "we should head out before anything else finds us. Last thing we need is to drop five levels."
In YGGDRASIL, dying meant an automatic five-level loss upon respawn. For new players, it wasn't the end of the world. But for higher levels—especially those with job or class requirements tied to their level—it could be devastating. Lose too many levels, and a player could be locked out of their own abilities and gear.
At level ten, Ryoichi and Uraume weren't in immediate danger, but if they died twice, their characters would be deleted.
"Fair point," Ryoichi said. "So, are we heading back to the same city or looking for a new one?"
"Same city," she replied without hesitation. "I don't feel like wandering around."
Ryoichi shrugged. "Long as we're having fun, I don't care."
To him, that was what games were about—fun. If a player couldn't enjoy themselves and just obsessed over stats or min-maxing, then what was the point?
A mischievous grin crept across his face. "By the way," he said, "what's with the username?"
Uraume froze mid-step.
He was talking about that.
FrostQueenEatzIce.
She had wanted FrostQueen, but it was already taken. After trying dozens of variations, that was the only one that wasn't.
Refusing to let him see her flustered, she shot back without hesitation.
"Oh, and what about yours?! Sukuna_DeezNutz? Seriously? That's the name you picked? What are you, two?"
"At least mine's not a dead meme from the twenty-first century!"
Ryoichi chuckled but let it go. He knew when to stop. Especially when it came to her.
The rest of their journey back to the city was filled with idle conversation, jokes, and laughter. When they finally turned in the quest, they received just enough EXP to reach level twelve. There was no rare gear or special unlocks—this was a beginner-level quest, meant for fast progression.
They checked their updated stats side by side.
[IGN: Sukuna_DeezNutz]
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Karma: -100
Race: Heteromorph
Racial Class: Curse (5)
Job Classes:
Base-Martial Artist (5): Enhanced speed and better proficiency in unarmed fights.
Base-Lancer (2): Boosted proficiency and damage with spears.
Stats:
HP: 25 | MP: 35 | CE: 50
Physical ATK: 30 | Physical DEF: 25
Agility: 40 | Magic ATK: 25
Magic DEF: 30 | Resist: 35 | Special: 30
[IGN: FrostQueenEatzIce]
Alignment: Neutral
Karma: +100
Race: Humanoid
Racial Class: None
Job Classes:
Base-Beginner Mage (6): Faster learning and boosted basic spells.
High-Hyakki (6): Ice-element elf; trades fire magic for unrestricted ice magic and a 10% bonus to ice-based abilities.
Stats:
HP: 20 | MP: 40 | CE: 0
Physical ATK: 20 | Physical DEF: 20
Agility: 25 | Magic ATK: 30
Magic DEF: 25 | Resist: 15 | Special: 20
Their builds were different—battle mage and pure mage. There was no right answer in YGGDRASIL. The game offered thousands of possibilities: front-line necromancers, sword-wielding monks, stealthy assassins who never used magic.
It wasn't about having the best build. It was about what worked for you.
They both understood that early on. They didn't brag about stats—they just checked that everything was in place.
Ryoichi glanced at the in-game clock.
"We should probably log off. It's almost dinner time."
Uraume nodded. "Yeah, no time for another quest anyway."
They logged off without hesitation.
Time had flown by. But both of them, separately and silently, agreed—it was the most fun they'd had in a long time.
And both were already looking forward to when they could log back in.
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Hope you guy's liked the chapter! I really enjoyed making it. Any ideas, criticism, or power stones are welcome!
With that said, I'll see you guys next week!