Starlight and Stone: The First Anchor
"Oh… what do we have here? A beauty," said Joe as he approached Liora's stall. He saw Linda calmly tending to customers, the kind of serenity only someone who fully understood their role could possess. Meanwhile, Liora and Sally sat on a bench behind the booth, completely absorbed in their crafts.
Liora was assembling more magical lamps, while Sally continued leveling up as an enchanter. She used simple stones as a base, a chisel carved from a mana fragment, and a small improvised hammer made of a wooden wand and a rock. She gently struck the chisel to engrave the runes, and once the carving was done, she sprinkled blue dust made by grinding mana shards.
If the stone glowed for a brief moment, the enchantment was considered successful—the rock would gain magical defense. If it failed… the stone crumbled into useless dust.
Using mana fragments to enchant simple stones was expensive. But if Sally applied it, for example, to equipment made by Liora—which typically cost a large mana stone—a failed enchantment didn't just destroy a valuable item, it erased all the effort that made it special.
"Hello? Would you like to buy something?" asked Linda, her voice as calm and gentle as her smile.
"Of course, gorgeous. I'll take all the lamps the girl has for sale… and a smile from you as a bonus," said Joe, leaning flirtatiously against the wooden counter.
"Sure," Linda replied without flinching. She walked over to the tables, gathered all the available lamps, and placed them before him. "Two large mana stones."
Joe paid without complaint, setting the stones down. "So, where are you from, lovely?"
"I live with my husband and daughter in City A," she replied serenely.
"Ugh…" Joe muttered in defeat. "Thanks for the… lamps." He turned with a defeated air and walked away.
From a nearby corner, Loli, who had been about to show Lua her new evolution, had witnessed everything. A teasing chuckle escaped her lips, prompting Joe to quicken his pace.
Loli no longer had her astral wings. Her new form was more ethereal—slightly taller, with a delicate and luminous body, black hair sprinkled with star-like sparkles, and eyes that glowed like living constellations, with irises and pupils formed by concentric blue rings. Her skin was smooth and white, and though her face was the same, her aura floated softly, just a few centimeters above the ground—even if she didn't notice it.
Lua, sitting atop the roof of her house, saw her approach and narrowed her eyes with interest. Player evolutions were often unpredictable, and some had only been mentioned in ancient tales.
Recognizing her figure, Lua leapt from the roof without warning and landed directly in front of Loli, startling her.
Lua leaned in, observing her closely with curiosity, which made Loli visibly nervous and red as a cherry.
"Good choice," Lua finally said, not breaking eye contact.
"T-thank you…" murmured Loli, blushing even more.
From the stall, Linda watched with a knowing smile, clearly aware of what was going on.
"Lua! I have a new recipe!" Liora suddenly shouted, causing Lua to glance back and turn around. Loli let out a sigh of relief and fanned herself with her hand.
Liora came running from under the counter and hurried over.
"Look," she said proudly, showing something on her interface.
Lua, unable to see what Liora was viewing, activated her mental link. "SIA."
"ON IT, BOSS!" replied the AI.
A floating screen appeared before Lua, revealing the object:
🗿 Return Totem
[Base Object]
Type: Stationary Magical Structure
Durability: 500 / 500
Usage: Fixed Installation (Base or Operational Point)
🔹 Effect:
Creates a permanent Return Point for the faction, allowing members to use Return Stones from anywhere in the world to instantly return to the Totem.
🔹 Limitations:
• Only one Return Totem can be active per faction.
• If the Totem is destroyed, all Return Stones become unusable until a new one is installed.
• The Totem has no cooldown, but Return Stones have a 10-minute cooldown per player.
🔹 Compatibility:
Works only in areas with stable magical energy. Cannot be installed in sealed zones, anti-mana fields, or temporary spaces.
🛠️ Crafting Recipe – Return Totem
• Granted to: Mana Engineer – Level 4 (Novice)
• Requires collaboration from:
🔹 Enchanter – Level 2 (Skilled)
🔹 Talisman Maker – Level 2 (Novice)
🔧 Required Materials:
• 2 × Minor Mana Heart
• 1 × Compact Mud Core
• 3 × Lizard Claws
• 3 × Large Mana Shard Fragments
• 1 × Reinforced Iron Frame (crafted by Blacksmith using 30 × Iron Ore)
• 2 × Mud Glands
• 1 × Minor Stability Talisman (previously crafted by Talisman Maker)
• 1 × Anchor Rune (engraved by Enchanter using Minor Mana Heart)
📜 Object Description:
A solid totem shaped like a runic column embedded with mana fragments and energy organs. Designed as a spiritual and magical return anchor for any faction's expeditions. Its activation links directly to Return Stones, allowing instant travel back from anywhere in Drunai. However, if destroyed, all magical return connections are lost.
Lua's eyes widened. That object… could bring back all the players no matter how far they were. It was extremely useful.
"SIA, create a quest to gather the materials," Lua ordered.
"No need, boss. We already have everything ready," SIA replied.
"Then send a mission to the blacksmith to craft the frame right away. Give the mission to Liora. I'll take care of the enchanter's part… and also send it to that boy, Bert, so he can prepare the talisman."
"On it, boss!"
At that moment, three mission windows appeared in front of Bert, Liora, and Silver.
📜 Profession Mission (Collaborative)
Title: Anchoring Home: The First Return Totem
Type: Production – Collaborative Profession Mission
Difficulty: Medium
Group Requirements:
• 1 Blacksmith (Novice Level 3+)
• 1 Mana Engineer (Novice Level 4+)
• 1 Talisman Maker (Novice Level 2+)
🧭 Main Objective:
Create the first Return Totem, a mystical anchor that allows the faction to return to base using Return Stones. Without this active totem, those stones are completely useless.
🔹 Sub-missions by Profession:
🔨 Blacksmith
Task: Forge the physical structure of the totem.
Required Materials:
• Iron Ore ×50
• Ant Shells ×10
• Hardened Mandibles ×5
Deliverable: Base Frame for Magical Anchoring
⚙️ Mana Engineer
Task: Assemble the channelling core and magical circuitry.
Required Materials:
• Compact Mud Core ×2
• Mud Gland ×1
• Sensory Antennae ×3
Deliverable: Coordinate Channeling Circuit
Special Note: Also unlocks the recipe for Return Stone.
🧿 Talisman Maker
Task: Create the spiritual stabilization talismans for the totem.
Required Materials:
• Small Bones ×5
• Lesser Mana Heart ×1
• Lizard Claws ×4
Deliverable: Spiritual Anchoring Talismans ×3
🏆 Mission Rewards (per player):
• 2 × Large Mana Stones
• +600 EXP in the corresponding profession
• The Mana Engineer unlocks the Recipe: Return Totem – Level 1
📚 Narrative Description:
"Returning home shouldn't be a miracle. This mission marks the first step toward establishing a secure base—reachable from anywhere in the world. But only if the right hands work in perfect sync. Are you ready to anchor your fate?"
—
The mission window appeared simultaneously before the three players, each in a different part of the village.
Liora blinked in confusion as she looked at Lua, still not fully understanding.
Bert, meanwhile, stared at his reflection in the water, thoughtful.
And Silver, with a red-hot iron bar about to be struck, dropped the hammer and accepted without hesitation.
"Lua! I got a mission!" Liora exclaimed, running toward her with excitement.
She still didn't seem to realize that the missions came from SIA… or Lua, depending on how you looked at it.
Lua merely smiled calmly, as if she had expected this.
"Go craft your part. Check the bag for the materials," she said in her usual tone.
"Okay!" Liora replied, dashing toward the house.
A while later, Bert arrived as well.
His appearance had changed. He was now tall, handsome, with dark green hair that fell naturally. His body was slim—balanced perfectly between agility and resilience. His ears were long, much longer than any human's, and his green eyes seemed to glow faintly.
Though he didn't voice it, Bert was worried.
His new race looked far too much like the elves that had conquered Earth.
But there were differences.
The elves from the invading empire were pale, with almost golden blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and ears barely longer than human ones. He, on the other hand, looked completely different—more natural, more grounded.
And hopefully, different enough not to provoke hatred.
Because if not… he'd have to start wearing those weird rabbit ears.
He approached Lua at the same time as Silver, and both collected their materials without saying much, before heading off to complete their part of the mission.
Night fell over Drunai like a silent veil.
Lua, sitting next to a lit brazier, gazed up at the sky for a moment.
"By the way, SIA… what happened to the two new players you brought?" she asked, noticing that the summoned spirits weren't roaming around the village.
"Oh, right… them," SIA replied, as if she had just remembered. "One second…"
Just then, a deep roar echoed from the sea.
A massive jet of water shot into the sky, and a moment later, a beam of light lit up the village entrance.
A player appeared, freshly respawned.
"Well… looks like we found one," SIA murmured in a neutral tone.
Even Lua raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, as she turned her gaze toward the still-turbulent sea.
She brought a hand to her face. "And the other one?"
"Wait… wait… Ah, found him. He's…" SIA paused.
"…facing humans."
Lua's expression hardened immediately. Her gaze turned ice-cold.