Void and Virtue
Lua sat down, exhausted, while in front of her lay a giant serpent, its body covered in slashes and scorched marks, no longer breathing. A few seconds later, Liora and Sally slowly stepped out from behind one of the stone walls Lua had created to protect them, approaching with caution.
The battle had lasted at least a couple of hours, and both girls were still stunned by what they had witnessed. Everything around them was destroyed—gouges in the ground, scorched areas, shattered trees, and rocks scattered in every direction.
"Are you okay, Lua? Do you want me to heal you?" Liora asked, a little concerned.
"I'm fine… just tired," Lua replied calmly, then looked around. "Seems like gathering the crystals will be easier now."
As if on cue, the ants from Liora's and Lua's collars shot out and began collecting crystalline fragments.
It looked like the system had recognized it as a proper drop. After all, the crystals had been dislodged by Lua's attacks, which meant the ants were now allowed to collect them under those conditions.
"Sia, get the drop from that thing," said Lua, still sounding drained. A few seconds later, the serpent's body began to glow intensely, and the light condensed into a single point near the girls.
📦 Drop Obtained – Petrifying Serpent (Boss)
• Petrifying Serpent Fang ×4
• Living Stone Sword
• Demon Beast Core ×2
• Large Mana Stone ×5
• Petrifying Serpent Meat ×100 kg
• Petrifying Serpent Scales ×200
• Boss Core
• Dull Eye Fragment (Accessory: +5 Dexterity, 5% chance to petrify on hit)
• Recipe: Paralysis Talisman (Novice 1 – Talisman Crafter)
• Recipe: Condensed Stasis Circle (Skilled 2 – Enchanter)
• Blank Profession Recipe
• Fragment of a Sleeping Soul (Exclusive Use – Beast Tamer)
Among the loot, Lua picked up a pale ash-colored sword, its hilt shaped like a coiled serpent.
"You can take whatever you want. Even the cores helped a lot," Lua said calmly, her eyes returning to the blade.
🗡️ Living Stone Sword
Type: Weapon (One-Handed)
Rarity: RARE
Damage: +45
Dexterity: +15
Bonus: 20% chance to apply Minor Petrification on melee attacks
Description:
Forged from compressed serpent bone and mana. Though heavy, the blade adapts to the user's intent as if it were an extension of their body.
The two girls approached the drop with interest, curiously scanning the items. Liora paused at one recipe in particular.
"Lua… what does the blank recipe do?" she asked.
"You can pick whatever profession you want by inserting the proper materials into it," Lua replied as she stored the sword.
Liora became even more intrigued.
"And which profession would work best with Mana Engineer? I want to give it to Sally," she added, glancing at the girl, who smiled faintly in return.
They had only met the day before, but Sally already wanted to help her. Lua noticed the bond forming between them.
"Sia," Lua thought.
"Hold on, boss! I'm looking... buy me some time," Sia replied mentally, clearly in a rush.
Lua sighed quietly and spoke aloud.
"I don't know yet. Just wait a little longer and I'll find out."
Sia facepalmed mentally.
Liora and Sally didn't understand, but they looked at each other and went back to gathering materials.
Several minutes passed as they collected the drop. They even cut down a large tree that Lua chopped with her sword and stored in their bags. They now had enough crystal to last the entire month—assuming only the current players were buying lamps.
Finally, Lua spoke again.
"The profession most connected to Mana Engineer is Enchanter. Some recipes require using objects that were already enchanted by that profession so the engineer can combine them. Blacksmithing and Carpentry could also help by creating basic components, and gathering professions are useful for collecting needed materials. But Enchanter is the main link."
"Then… couldn't I use the Enchanter recipe we already have?" asked Sally.
"It requires Skilled level. You need a Novice recipe. There's also the Paralysis Talisman one, but that's for Talisman Crafters, which is a different profession. If you don't want to use the blank recipe, that's another option."
Sally glanced at Liora before answering.
"I want a profession that's connected to her… can you help me become an Enchanter?" she asked quickly.
"Sure," Lua said, then wrote a simple recipe onto a blank sheet, which began to glow upon activation.
🪄 Enchantment: Minor Defense
Profession: Enchanter
Required Level: Novice Lv. 1
Applicable Object: Armor (any part)
Method: Rune Carving
Required Materials:
• 1 × Mana Powder Fragment
• Enchanter's Carving Tool
• Base Object (unenchanted armor piece)
Effect Applied:
🔹 "+3 Physical Defense"
🔹 Enchantment is stable but fragile: it may dissipate if the object takes critical damage.
Description:
This basic enchantment inscribes a protection symbol onto armor. Simple yet useful, it grants an extra layer of defense ideal for beginner adventurers.
"Here. Once you use this, the profession will give you a starting recipe. They're basic, but they'll help you level up. If you want better ones, you'll have to find them in beast drops… or buy them from other players," Lua explained calmly.
Sally took the recipe and used it without hesitation.
"You don't have to use it on actual armor at first. You can practice carving onto stones. You'll gain less EXP, but it saves your good materials."
Sally nodded in understanding.
The three of them then returned to the village, where the players were still working peacefully… though it was clear that many of them were missing.
"Boss, with the energy you gained, we could summon at least ten more players. Since Liora and Sally hit the level cap of their current evolution, most of the leftover experience was converted into energy for the system," Sia reported.
"No. Wait. Just summon two more for now," said Lua calmly.
Meanwhile, Sally and Liora were still looking at the demon beast cores Lua had given them. Aside from the recipe Sally had used, Lua had let them keep one each… but neither of them knew what to do with it yet.
According to what they had heard from Loli and Sig, demon beast cores could be exchanged for mana flasks in real life. They could also be used to create invitations for new players, or even serve as in-game currency, since they allowed you to purchase many things—like a plot of land, for example. Liora already owned one. Sally, on the other hand, did not. Even the gear she wore now had been loaned by Liora when they left the village together.
Right then, a floating notification appeared in front of them:
📜 "Please select your next evolution to continue leveling up."
Even Liora, whose class required double the experience of a normal one, had reached level 20, the maximum for her current evolution. The next one wouldn't be available until level 40.
As for Sally, who had only been level 3 before the battle, she had now reached level 10 thanks to the fight against the serpent. It had been a huge help… but also a bit of a waste. If all the players had joined the fight, they would all have had a new evolution to choose from by now. After all, a level 50 boss, especially a territory boss, gave a ridiculous amount of experience.
"What evolutions do you have, Sally?" asked Liora with interest, setting aside the topic of the core for now. After all, she already had high-quality mana flasks and no one left to invite to the game.
"Hold on, I'll tell you," Sally replied, opening her panel to check the options.
🌑 "Fragment of the Void"
[Rank 1 – Common Rarity]
Type: Void Humanoid
Class: Debuffer Apprentice
Defense: Low | Damage: Low | Durability: Medium
Skills:
• Instinctive Weakness – Slightly reduces the enemy's resistance to debuffs for 5 s.
• Dark Pressure – Slows the target's movement speed by 20% for 3 s.
Description:
A basic, incomplete form… but something is beginning to take shape. Its appearance reflects distorted fragments of the player's repressed emotions: covered eyes, oversized hands, scars or personal traits only the user would recognize.
It is the first step toward a being that reflects not what the player shows… but what they hide.
🌑 "Void Weaver"
[Rank 1 – Rare Rarity]
Type: Void Humanoid
Class: Physical Debuffer
Defense: Medium | Damage: Low | Durability: High
Skills:
• Empty Chains – Roots the enemy for 3 s if they are already slowed.
• Shifting Mass – Doubles the enemy's weight, reducing their evasion and speed by 50%.
Description:
The Void Weaver's body is based on the player's vision of their "ideal self," distorted by the logic of the void. It may take elegant or terrifying forms: floating hair, smoke-like skin, or multiple illusory arms. Each spell cast seems woven from emotions the player cannot express.
🌑 "Bearer of the Nothing"
[Rank 1 – Special Rarity]
Type: Void Entity
Class: Existential Debuffer
Defense: Low | Damage: None | Durability: High
Skills:
• Silent Ruin – Every 10 s, applies a random debuff (fear, fatigue, magic disruption) to the nearest enemy.
• Reality Shift – 20% chance to become untouchable for 1 s.
Description:
This form only appears if the player has survived an extreme situation without causing direct harm. Its body no longer holds a coherent physical shape, but instead becomes a pure subconscious projection—a reflection of the player's emotional core. Some see themselves as frightened children, others as faceless figures, or skeletal shadows with empty eyes.
It has no voice. No name. It reflects only the hole the player has refused to fill.
Sally silently read through the descriptions of the three. She nearly chose a race outside her evolution path, or even considered resetting, not wanting to become "something weird." But for some reason… the third one kept calling to her.
"Whatever. If I don't like it, I'll just level up and reset my race. According to Sig I'll lose everything… but it doesn't matter," she muttered, and made her choice.
Her body began to glow with a dark tone, and her silhouette slowly shifted.
Liora watched intently, curious to see what she would become. When the light faded, she stared in silence.
Sally looked at her hands and body with a hint of fear, checking if anything looked strange. At first glance, there weren't many changes. But then she noticed her hair.
Back when she entered the game, it had simply been dark… but now it looked like a mass of black void that absorbed light, almost like a floating black hole. It moved gently, as if it had a life of its own.
Sally touched it with a conflicted expression.
"It's amazing," said Liora with a smile, watching the hair move elegantly, devouring any nearby light.
Then, it was her turn.
Liora checked her own evolution options and, just like before, picked the one that shone the brightest among the three.
Her body lit up with intense golden light… and when it faded, she looked almost the same—except for one clear change: her golden hair now shone like sunlight, a small halo floated above her head, and her wings moved with her emotions.
In fact, if she wanted to, she probably could've flown off right then and there.
—
🌟 STATUS PANEL
Name: Liora
Level: 20 | Race Level: 2
Race: Virtue Angel (Buff / Healing / Support)
Title: Goddess of Fortune
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STATS
HP: 780
MP: 4,150
Damage: 7
Defense: 30 (+21)
Strength: 75
Endurance: 90
Intelligence: 500
Speed: 168 (+8)
Dexterity: 281 (+1)
Luck: 20 (fixed) (MAX)
EXP: 0 / 100,000
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ABILITIES
• World's Blessing (Passive) – Permanently doubles Luck.
• Legendary Race (Passive) – Doubles stat points gained when leveling up (except level 1).
🌠 Minor Healing – Level 1
🌠 Sacred Purification – Level 1
🌠 Blessing of Warm Light – Level 1
🌠 Shield of Grace – Level 1
🌠 Voice of Valor – Level 1
🌠 Light of Rebirth – Level 1
Type: Area Healing
Mana: 30 MP | Cooldown: 60 s
Effect: Heals all nearby allies by 10% HP
Bonus: Removes bleeding, burn, and curse effects.
🌠 Blessing of Fortitude – Level 1
Type: Area Buff
Mana: 35 MP | Cooldown: 90 s
Effect: Increases all allies' DEF and RES by 15% for 15 seconds.
Bonus: Allies below 20% HP gain immunity to debuffs for 5 seconds.
🌠 Miracle of Faith – Level 1
Type: Regenerative Shield
Mana: 50 MP | Cooldown: 120 s
Effect: Grants a shield that restores 5% of total HP every 2 seconds for 10 seconds.
Bonus: Automatically revives one fallen ally per day with 20% HP.
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EQUIPMENT
• Small Horn Earring (+3 Speed, +1 Dexterity)
• Horned Rabbit Fur Hat (+3 Defense, +1 Speed)
• Horned Rabbit Leather Armor (+8 Defense, +1 Speed)
• Soft Fur Pants (+5 Defense, +1 Speed)
• Horn Gloves (+2 Defense, +3% Gathering Efficiency)
• Rabbit Fur Boots (+3 Defense, +2 Speed)
🔸 Set Bonus Active:Silent Movement – Reduces movement noise by 10%.
🌑 STATUS PANEL
Name: Sally
Level: 10 | Race Level: 1
Race: Void Entity (Magical Debuffer Type)
Title: Bearer of the Nothing
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STATS
HP: 280
MP: 387
Damage: 1
Defense: 22 (+21)
Strength: 2
Endurance: 2
Intelligence: 25
Speed: 24 (+8)
Dexterity: 11 (+1)
Luck: 6
EXP: 0 / 1,000
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ABILITIES
🌠 Whispers of the Hollow – Level 1
🌠 Weight of Emptiness – Level 1
🌠 Silent Ruin – Level 1
Type: Automatic Debuff (Passive)
Mana: 50 | Cooldown: 10 s
Effect: Every 10 seconds, applies a random debuff to the nearest enemy (may include fear, fatigue, or magic disruption).
Bonus: If the enemy is under mental effects, the new debuff lasts 50% longer.
🌠 Reality Shift – Level 1
Type: Special Defense (Passive)
Mana: — | Cooldown: —
Effect: 20% chance to become untouchable for 4 seconds by partially phasing out of reality.
Bonus: While in this state, cannot be detected by magical sensors.
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EQUIPMENT
• Small Horn Earring (+3 Speed, +1 Dexterity)
• Horned Rabbit Fur Hat (+3 Defense, +1 Speed)
• Horned Rabbit Leather Armor (+8 Defense, +1 Speed)
• Soft Fur Pants (+5 Defense, +1 Speed)
• Horn Gloves (+2 Defense, +3% Gathering Efficiency)
• Rabbit Fur Boots (+3 Defense, +2 Speed)
🔸 Set Bonus Active:Silent Movement – Reduces movement noise by 10%.