We logged out immediately after leaving the Mage Alliance headquarters. Dawn light already crept through our apartment blinds - gods, had we really grinded through the night? By the time our alarms blared at 8 PM, Wei and I were scarfing cold pizza while reattaching neural jacks. The login chime sounded sweeter than any symphony.


    The cityscape stunned us upon respawn. Where yesterday saw scattered adventurers, now throngs of fresh avatars crowded the plazas. Right - today marked the global server launch. Most players probably hit Level 20 by now. A half-elven spellsword jostled past me muttering about botched enchantments, while a dwarven berserker argued with his UI hologram. The energy was... vibrant.


    "Yo, legendary gear alert!" A saccharine voice cut through the din. We turned to find a fox-eared archer batting eyelashes at Wei. "Is this your guild mistress? That full Shadowscale set! Could you... mentor a newbie?" Her tail swished with calculated innocence.


    Before I could correct her, Wei puffed his chest. "Level 20? No sweat! We''ll have you farming elites by midnight." His avatar''s eyes lingered on her character model''s... anatomical customization options. Typical.


    The vixen clasped hands. "You wouldn''t mind one more, would you? Babe! Over here!" A huleringed orc materialized, his warhammer scraping cobblestones. "Free powerleveling? Sweet!"


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I sighed. Years of being mistaken for my sister''s twin had immunized me to such tactics. "Correction: He''s your carry. Got errands." Activating my Phaseband, I vanished mid-protest, leaving Wei to his fate. Their shocked gasps fueled my petty satisfaction.


    Lost Citadel - Artificer Quarter


    The teleportation haze cleared at Kronak''s Forge. The dwarven smith looked up from his anvil, beard sparks still dancing. "Stormcrown! Been scrying every hub for you."


    "You... sought me?" NPCs initiating contact? Since when did neural clouds get this adaptive?


    "To business!" He stomped upstairs. I followed to a vault-like chamber smelling of oiled steel. "Need a courier. High-level materials from restricted zones."


    I leaned against a glowing runeforge. "Since when am I your guild runner?"


    "Compensation!" He slammed a crystalline bracer on the table. Spatial Bracelet - Unlimited dimensional storage. Telekinesis mastery (20m range). "For transport efficiency. And..." His cheeks reddened beneath the beard. "We''ll void your repair debt."


    "Keep the charity. This relic''s payment enough."


    "Take both." He avoided eye contact. "Now - your business?"


    I produced the obsidian wood chunk. Kronak dropped his tankard. "Blackstar Ironbark?! Where-"


    "Treant drops. Valuable?"


    "Valuable?!" His tremor shook the chandeliers. "Single log ignites netherflames for arcane smelting! 50% vampiric enchant chance on blades!"


    I casually produced another. Then another. And another. When the fiftieth materialized, the dwarf collapsed.


    "By Moradin''s hammer!" He scrambled up. "Do you comprehend? This fuels forges that birthed the Godslayer axes!"


    I grinned. Time to negotiate.