In the dim basement of the Black Inn, a woman draped in a crimson cloak lounged across a velvet couch, idly smoking a rolled dry leaf. Her bored gaze settled on the trembling figure kneeling before her.
"You returned early. Why?" She exhaled a slow, curling plume of smoke.
"The target... he's dead."
The cloaked woman's eyes sharpened. She leaned forward, the ember of her leaf casting flickering shadows across her face.
"Explain precisely how he died."
The kneeling woman's body convulsed with suppressed laughter. She clamped hands over her mouth, shoulders shaking, before gasping for control.
"He — pfft — he just... suicided." Another giggle escaped. "I'm sorry — "
The crimson-cloaked woman's fingers tightened around her smoking roll. Her left eye twitched once, twice.
"Reason?" The word came out icy. "Any final moments before his... absurd act?"
"He... he put on these black bracers in front of his girlfriend, stripped completely naked — pfft — "
She clamped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking.
"...then suicided right there!" The laughter burst out uncontrollably, infectious enough to make even the red cloaked woman lips twitch.
"HE DIED A VIRGIN!" she howled, slapping her thigh.
"After he died, I left. Didn't want to stick around for some emotional breakdown scene..."
"What the hell? You should've stayed longer to observe —"
"Ugh, can we drop this roleplay already?" The kneeling woman suddenly stood up and plopped onto the couch beside the crimson-cloaked figure. She snatched the rolled leaf and took an exaggerated drag before erupting into coughs.
"Why force it if you can't handle smoking?"
The woman waved smoke away, eyes watering.
"Looks cool though... Like when that guy does all those heroic saves for his princess. Straight out of an action movie — except he ended up killing himself exactly like he did to that newbie hunter, making her suicide with just a letter."
"Yeah, even veteran players fell for that suicide prank mail two years ago..."
"That husband of yours had a twisted genius for sending it randomly. How many died that time? Nearly a thousand, wasn't it?"
"Thankfully Earth players recognized the scam. Only Otherworlders took the bait — until some do-gooder exposed the trick."
The woman rose abruptly, leaving the red-cloaked figure alone on the couch.
"If any Blackhands come looking, tell them I'm hunting in Crimson Tree Zone. Time to cull some noobs."
Just as she reached the door, the red cloaked woman's voice stopped her:
"Mia, bring me some dried crimson tree leaves while you're there."
The woman spun around, scowling.
"How many times? Call me Ghostblade, you hypocrite! 'BigBlackCat' still parading in that ridiculous red cloak."
…
Stella and Dexter left the inn in search of an affordable breakfast spot. Despite having nearly two million coins, Dexter's thrifty nature refused to splurge on meals — to him, any food that filled his stomach would suffice.
After eating, they visited the marketplace to purchase a new mule, along with a hundred-pack of rolled dry leaves.
'This isn't addiction,' Dexter told himself. 'It's essential MP regeneration for combat.'
With their supplies secured, they departed Sunscar Kingdom and headed for the nearest dungeon to grind levels.
Now empowered by his resurrection ability, Dexter fought without a care for his life, fearlessly charging into mobs. Stella, however, remained cautious, meticulously healing every scratch he received.
Armed with twin swords and clad only in a loincloth, Dexter embraced close-quarters combat—even with endless equipment transformations at his disposal, nothing compared to the visceral thrill of carving through enemies blade-first. Each slash, each kill, sent a rush of pure exhilaration coursing through him.
"Stella! That's the boss room up ahead. Think you can take it alone?" Dexter asked.
"Of course not! You promised I'd just be your healer while you handle the fighting. Why are you pushing me to fight now?" she countered.
"Hey, don't get mad. It's just a Tier IV boss — what's the worst it could do? With my resurrection and healing, you'll be fine. Hell, I could even bring you back if you become a skeleton," he joked, nudging her shoulder.
"No! Absolutely not!" Stella stomped her foot. "They're too disgusting!"
"Alright, alright, I won't force you." Dexter sighed.
"But if you're not willing to improve your combat skills, I'll have to leave you in the Safe Zone. I plan to grind to max level in the Uncharted Zones..."
"You'd... leave me?" Stella's voice quivered, eyes glistening.
"Yeah. You'll be safe there. And I can visit anytime — just a quick suicide and voilà, instant teleportation to you. Well, only works in Safe Zones. Or our home..."
"Fine! I'll stay..." She sniffled. "But you have to promise to come back every single day!"
…
Dexter and Stella stepped into the boss chamber, immediately confronted by a towering Death Knight so massive that Stella instinctively recoiled.
Without hesitation, Dexter's bracers morphed into a staff as he chanted a transformation spell. His body contorted into a sleek panther mid-leap, pouncing toward the Death Knight with fangs bared. At the peak of his jump, he reverted to human form — equipment shifting instantly into twin blades — and brought them crashing down.
CLANG!
The Death Knight intercepted with its claymore, the impact reverberating through Dexter's arms.
In a flash, his swords transformed into enchanted sandals, teleporting him back to Stella's side.
"This'll take forever," he grumbled, examining his bracers. "Still feels like Tier II gear against a Tier IV boss."
He lit a rolled dry leaf, inhaling deeply as MP flooded his system. His passive nullification ability spared him the usual dizziness.
After cracking his neck, his equipment shimmered again — now a wizard's cloak and fire staff.
"Guess we're doing this the boring way." He pointed his staff at it.
"FIREBALL!"
…
After nearly an hour of relentless combat, Dexter finally defeated the Death Knight. The massive XP reward shot him straight to level 3 — more surprisingly, all his combat masteries and specializations leveled up simultaneously.
'Is this the advantage of having transformable equipment?'
"Look, Dex! A golden chest!" Stella immediately dashed toward the glowing prize.
"Stella, wait—!"