After sending a message to Mia, Ryan set off toward the Abandoned Mines.
The forums were already buzzing. A team had just cleared the first two bosses of the Abandoned Mines and was now pushing deeper into the lower levels. Every member of that team had already completed their class specializations. They were the vanguard—leading the world in progression.
Still, their accomplishments had only earned them regional "Glory" titles. The real attention came from being the first to specialize in a class, and that spotlight had already moved. Many players were still asking why Featherlight, the one who had claimed the first two Glorious Achievements, had suddenly gone quiet. But now, attention was shifting. The five new players were gaining traction fast.
That was the nature of celebrity in this game. Stay quiet too long, and someone else would take your place.
Ryan was fully aware of that. If he wanted to build a team that included his sister, it was only a matter of time before he'd have to reveal his identity. With that in mind, it was better to keep a low profile for now—grow quietly, move from the shadows.
Besides, Evelyn already knew Mia's in-game name. If she ever got curious, it wouldn't be hard for her to trace it back to him. That was fine, though. By the time he actually made a name for himself, his family would probably have settled somewhere safe in the real world.
As Ryan made his way down the road, he noticed the game world becoming more and more alive. Players were everywhere now, running back and forth between towns, zones, and quest hubs.
Human players were advancing faster than other races. Many pros had already left the starting zones, stocked up on early gear in Goldmine Town, and then doubled back to help new players run dungeons—for a fee, of course. It was their first real opportunity to earn decent money in the game.
That said, their income didn't come close to what Ryan had made.
Most wore a patchwork of Uncommon (green) gear and level 5 Common items—enough for three players to grind through Blood Hollow together. But their rates weren't high. A typical run only cost between 50 to 100 gold per person. With the sheer number of players moving around, stamina limits, and time restrictions, few were earning anything substantial.
Compared to them, Ryan's gold pile looked absurd.
Goldmine Town had grown crowded and noisy. Dozens of players jogged along the roads, completing quests and trading idle chatter about forum news. No one yet knew which guild the team that cleared the Abandoned Mines belonged to. Because of that, many assumed they were independent—just like Featherlight had been.
That theory made them instant heroes in the eyes of countless solo players. But it also made the big guilds nervous. Recruitment officers had already started scrambling.
Meanwhile, Mia was out in the field grinding with a small team. They were fighting level 10 elite Bone Miners—tougher mobs with solid experience rewards. She was leveling fast and closing in on the double-digit threshold.
Ryan's next step was simple: reach the Abandoned Mines, help Mia hit level 10, accept the main questline, and then find a few competent players to clear the level 10 dungeon.
"Ryan, hurry! I only need about 10,000 more experience to hit level 10!"
Her voice buzzed through the chat, light with excitement.
Humans had progressed faster than other races so far, and Mia was ranked near the top among them. That probably meant she was high on the global leaderboards, too.
When Ryan arrived at the Bonegrave Crypt, he easily spotted her in the crowd. Unlike most players, Mia had her in-game name visible. A few others in her group did too—mostly female players. But one of those names made Ryan stop cold.
Tyrant Queen—that was Evelyn's name.
Ryan froze.
Instead of walking straight over to Mia, he sent her a private message.
"What's going on?"
Her reply came quickly.
"Nothing. We just made up."
Ryan blinked, stunned. Made up? Just like that?
Mia had been openly hostile toward Evelyn for months—years, even. And now, after just a few hours in-game, they were suddenly friends? Was this some kind of joke? If a few gaming sessions could resolve grudges, mediators would be out of business. People would just hop online and call it therapy.
He kept pressing her for details, but Mia wouldn't explain. Eventually, she just told him to hurry up and come over.
"Does Evelyn know who I am?" he asked, still watching from a distance.
Mia and the others were laughing and fighting monsters together, like old friends.
"She does! Evelyn's not a stranger. You told me not to give info to strangers, right? Did I do something wrong?"
Ryan winced. So she had told Evelyn his in-game name.
"No," he replied. "You didn't. It was my mistake."
He sighed quietly. He hadn't seen this coming. His family had lived in isolation for so long that he never thought Mia would reconnect with anyone. He hadn't specifically warned her not to tell Evelyn—but now the information was out there.
Thankfully, he'd taken precautions. He'd stayed in Astral City longer than necessary, deliberately letting other players surge ahead. That delay had helped mask his identity, at least for now.
It wasn't panic—just irritation. If he hadn't been working on a few theories about the game, he wouldn't have cared who knew who he was. He certainly hadn't hesitated when claiming the Glorious Achievements.
With a deep breath, Ryan pushed the thoughts aside and headed over.
As he got closer, he noticed a small crowd forming around the group of girls. Nothing new—female players were rare, and pretty ones even more so. Two of them had even matched their avatars to their real-life looks, which only added to the spectacle. It was easy to tell they were stunners in reality, and that always stirred attention in male-dominated games like this one.
Mixed into the crowd were a few professional players from Blackcollar Studio, hovering around like vultures, clearly interested. Most others stayed back, not wanting trouble, quietly grinding nearby mobs.
Ryan approached—and immediately ran into a wall of bodies.
Several players stepped in front of him, subtly blocking the path.
"Excuse me," one of them said. "Our lady is up ahead fighting monsters. Best go around."
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
"I know," he replied casually. "Your lady is Evelyn. She just left my house not too long ago."
He clicked his tongue and stepped aside, bypassing them without resistance—but not before letting that little fact slip.
The Blackcollar players looked at each other, suddenly unsure. If what he said was true, then there was no point interfering.
They let him through.
Ryan walked up to the group, nameplate fully visible.
"Well, Evelyn," he said, smirking slightly, "having fun?"