[quote]A night came and went, your dreams colored by hazy adventures in a brilliant land, even as your mind fatigued itself over the rigors and repetitiveness of combat. The thrill always persisted, of course, watching as your body became more and more superhuman, attaining feats of physical excellence that you would never have in reality, but when you finally closed your eyes, it all dragged you under, into the deep dark of your unconsciousness.

And yet, morning came all the same, bringing with it heightened spirits, invigorated sensation. Some drank coffee, watching the news or scrolling through the social media feed. Others fried up something hearty, savory scents seeping into the air. The sight outside changed. Smoke clung from the spring wildfires. Rain continued to fall torrentially, well past the monsoon season. The Sun seared, ever bright and ever painful. The skyscrapers continued to rise, even as scientists prophesized of great quakes. It was the weekend though, a lazy weekend without obligations.

So once again, the message is sent through the group.

So once again, the machine is booted up.

So once again, you are plugged in.
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[color=gray][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcr9zJes_Oo]𝔸
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𝔽𝔸𝕃𝕃𝕊
𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻
𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔹𝔼𝕃𝕃 𝕊𝔼𝕃𝔼ℂ𝕋𝕊
𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝔾𝕊 𝕊ℙ𝕀ℕ
𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕊ℂ𝔸𝕃𝔼𝕊 𝕊ℍ𝕀𝔽𝕋
𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℙ𝔼ℕ𝔻𝕌𝕃𝕌𝕄𝕊 𝕊𝕎𝕀ℕ𝔾
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《𝔻𝔼𝕊𝕋ℝ𝕌ℂ𝕋𝔼𝔻 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 𝕄𝔸ℕ𝕀𝔽𝔼𝕊𝕋𝔼𝔻》
《𝔻𝔼𝕊𝕋ℝ𝕌ℂ𝕋𝔼𝔻 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 𝕊𝕋𝔸𝔹𝕀𝕃𝕀ℤ𝔼𝔻》
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𝕡ℝ𝕆𝕍𝔼 𝕪𝕆𝕌ℝ 𝕝𝕆𝕍𝔼 𝕚𝕊 𝕥ℝ𝕌𝔼
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/hK7BLxl.png[/img]
[/center]

Amulak had become [i]powerful[/i]. After the fiasco that was the early game, where he had been hampered by both limited spells as well as the scam that was Fa Trung’s Talismans, the mage had grinded hard, fought hard, and gotten lucky with his drops as well. He was not yet a Necromancer, but the seven spells he knew now gave him versatility and destructive capability that was unmatched by any of his teammates. Decked out in an admittedly ragtag collection of equipment, he blinked into existence at the Keystone, right beside Ames.

The flame-haired warrior wasn’t doing too shabby himself. If Amulak had been hampered by those cursed talismans, Ames had been absolutely crippled by it, yet had ascended to the same amount of strength as the Mage. The sword of a fallen adventurer hung from his hip, while the banner of a warchief, ripped from its corpse as a trophy, was wrapped around his arm, colors bright in the blue sky.

There was Magpie too, her Brawler look improved further by the savage gear she had obtained. Though the hardcore fighter/gamer had taken time off from mindless grinding in search of knowledge regarding the alchemist’s craft, her last session with Amulak and Ames had been fruitful, decking her out with attire that almost completed a full set of equipment for her. With spiked boots and a cloak made of the furs of wolves, she looked undoubtedly a badass, and that wasn’t even counting her new skills.

In comparison, Raime, prioritizing real life affairs over online, had come away from yesterday’s gaming with only one real advantage: he got proper sleep. A bone dagger hung from his hip, and his item pouch was a bit fatter from the rishi he had earned from his monster slaying, but other than that, he looked the same as ever, a comforting, familiar sight amongst all the adventurers with their ill-matched, stat-focused outfits.

And then, with a flicker of light, the prodigal adventurer returned to Nyu-Taro. Having eschewed human contact and focused solely on the way of the staff, Lugh was the one who returned the most exhausted, but also the most fully equipped. A reed hat with a wide brim hid his piercing gaze, while his armor rattled with many jagged barbs. Arm guards of lacquered bamboo shielded his forearms as his shield spread its white petals open to meet the sun. Something about him had certainly changed. But what?

Ari, too, returned. Her misadventures in the sewers had not dimmed the spirit of exploration in her, and even if she didn’t have a class, even if she was functionally unable to level up and improve her attributes, she still had her wits, her knowledge, and her monkey fist. But was that all? No, there was something more. For when she logged in and manifested before the Keystone, there was something new, wrapped around her left arm.

[hider=Seeker of Phantasms, Xu Fu]
[u][b]Type Auxiliary Arms, First Stage[/b][/u]
[sub]+20% AGI, +50% DEX[/sub]
[i]A length of yellowed parchment, with pictographs written upon one side in red ink. At each end of the parchment is a loop made of silvered roots.[/i]

[b]All Beneath the Earth[/b]
[indent]Active. Periodically consumes 20 MP. Nuclei wraps around the caster's eyes like a blindfold, before granting them the ability to see night as if it were day, as well as to see through objects within a range of fifty meters. In this sight, Immortals and Riens are outlined in blue, monsters are outlined in red, and flora are outlined in yellow.[/indent]
[/hider]
An oracle from the game itself, telling her to brave those depths once more? Or merely a reflection of her past actions, a development to commend her courage? Whatever it was, her allies were all stronger now, and they were all gathered here. Yesterday was preparation, grinding levels and getting equipment, but today?

Today was about time for a quest!

...

Wait, where was Klein?